The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, has said he ‘welcomes’ the £2 bus fare extension announced by the Department for Transport (DfT). 

The DfT shared in February that the cap on single journeys in England will be extended until June 30 following an investment of £155 million into the bus recovery grant. 

The decision was made in light of the ongoing cost of living challenges faced by households across the country.   

Bus companies in Cambridgeshire originally signed up to capping the fares at a discounted price between January 1 and March 31 as part of a government initiative. 

READ MORE: £2 bus fare cap extended for further three months | Ely Standard 

Grant Shapps MP, then Transport Secretary, announced that the government would provide up to £60 million to help bus operators, including Stagecoach, cap single bus fares at £2.  

The scheme is already showing early signs of increased bus use, with an independent survey of 1,000 people from the watchdog Transport Focus showing seven per cent of people saying they are using buses more. 

Speaking of the fare cap, Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “I welcome this move by the government to make bus travel more affordable.  

“Opening up travel will help grow the economy by allowing people to get to work and help communities to avoid social isolation and access education and healthcare.” 

He added: “I know from the emails I have received and the people I have spoken to how essential buses are to our communities, and officers at the Combined Authority are continuing to look at all of the options available to us to protect them for the future.” 

The Combined Authority welcomes this initiative by the Department of Transport to encourage more people to return to bus travel. 

In addition to the £2 bus fare initiative, the Combined Authority has also introduced a Mayoral General Precept, which will support buses across the region.