Jonathan Welch takes a look at some of the findings from the DfT’s recently-published review of the £2 bus fare cap in England
It’s taken a while, too long some might say, but the Department for Transport has finally published a review of the £2 fare cap scheme and its effectiveness, carried out by Frontier Economics and SYSTRA. Why ‘too long’ you might ask, given that the scheme only ended (or rather, became the £3 cap) at the end of 2024, barely seven weeks ago? In fact, the report published in mid-February by the DfT is dated November 2024 but only covers the first 10 months of the scheme, from January to October 2023. Naturally, the findings will have been in the DfT’s hands in time for it to review the scheme before making a decision on whether to continue it in 2025, but despite the amount of data requiring analysis, it is somewhat disappointing that we’re only now seeing the results, some 15 months after the period in review.
When launched, the fare cap had two primary aims: to reduce the cost of living, particularly for low-income households, by reducing the cost of travel, and to support recovery in bus patronage by simplifying and reducing the cost of travel and increasing passenger confidence. It operated across England (with the exception of coach, school-only and airport services, as well as routes in London, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire which were excluded as fares were already capped in these areas), with bus operators participating on a voluntary basis. The main findings of the 150 page report include:
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