The Mayor of Greater Manchester has pledged to stick with the £2 bus fare cap in 2025 despite the announcement yesterday by the Government that the national cap will rise to £3
Andy Burnham in a statement released this afternoon said that “Because of the decisions we have taken, and the progress we have made, GM is in a different position to other areas across England when it comes to bus funding and bus fares.
The Mayor said that the per-kilometre cost of our new contracts are on average one third cheaper than tenders in the old deregulated system.
He added that by taking control of the farebox, any profits from rising patronage can be kept and recycled for the benefit of GM residents rather than retained by private operators.
adding that:
“ control of the system allows us to take further steps to help our residents. For instance, by making annual Bee Bus Passes available through our 14 credit unions via weekly payments, residents can cut the cost of weekly bus travel by around £5.
From the 5th January next year he plan to introduce a new simpler, flatter fare structure based around a £2 single fare and, on 23/3/25, a contactless London-style payment system with a daily and weekly cap setting a maximum for what people pay when travelling on our buses and trams.
However he added that it is only by the middle of 2025 when we have completed Phase 1 of the Bee Network, and we know the level of government funding we have, that we will be in a position to judge the financial outlook for the new system.
“So, based on the above, we can confirm that we are sticking with the £2 cap for the whole of 2025 but subject to a mid-year review.”
