Campaigners welcome extension to £2 cap on bus fares in England as routes under threat

Passenger numbers are still 19% below pre-Covid levels outside London

England’s £2 cap on bus fares will now run until June 30 (Tony Smith/Alamy Stock Photo/PA)

Campaigners have welcomed a three-month extension to the government’s £2 cap on bus fares introduced in England to save services hit by a post-Covid slump in passenger numbers.

The promotional scheme was due to expire at the end of March but will now run until 30 June after the Department for Transport (DfT) found an extra £75 million for operators to keep it running.

Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith, said half of bus users have no other transport option available “so this funding is welcome news.”