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Government announcement on bus fares

205 replies

Poppinpoppinpopcorn · 22/07/2026 13:37

Bus fares across the country is to get capped at £2 for a single journey from January. This is amazing news and will help so many people especially those of us who have been paying £3 pound. But I do think London should do this as well as it unfair they will pay less than the rest of the country, as they have done for many years. That way they can make some of the money back.

OP posts:
millymollymoomoo · 22/07/2026 13:39

Another unfounded announcement Labour. What a surprise

Yetanothername3 · 22/07/2026 13:39

Go to Luxembourg, all trains, buses and trams are free within the country.

Cooshawn · 22/07/2026 13:40

I think public transport should be as cheap as possible everywhere, so no I don't see the logic in making it more expensive in London to balance out?

Poppinpoppinpopcorn · 22/07/2026 13:41

Cooshawn · 22/07/2026 13:40

I think public transport should be as cheap as possible everywhere, so no I don't see the logic in making it more expensive in London to balance out?

Let me guess, you are from London

OP posts:
Cooshawn · 22/07/2026 13:42

Poppinpoppinpopcorn · 22/07/2026 13:41

Let me guess, you are from London

You guess wrong. I'm not from London and generally dislike having to go to London.

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 22/07/2026 13:43

I don’t have a bus stop near me. Rural people don’t all have buses. Towns get this benefit so the rest of us pay for them? We have to run a car. Sheffield used to have the cheapest transport. Definitely not London!

BoredZelda · 22/07/2026 13:43

millymollymoomoo · 22/07/2026 13:39

Another unfounded announcement Labour. What a surprise

As opposed to all those excellently funded proposals the opposing parties have?

MidnightPatrol · 22/07/2026 13:43

London’s bus fares cost £1.75, and are expected to increase to £1.85 in November.

Are you really so annoyed about that 15/25p difference?

Bjorkdidit · 22/07/2026 13:46

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 22/07/2026 13:43

I don’t have a bus stop near me. Rural people don’t all have buses. Towns get this benefit so the rest of us pay for them? We have to run a car. Sheffield used to have the cheapest transport. Definitely not London!

Indeed, the bus service also has to be usable and reliable. If there isn't a bus, there's only a handful of buses a day/week or it gets cancelled more than very occasionally, then it could be free and it wouldn't be much use to people who need it for work or hospital appointments etc.

TheresMillionsOfGeoffreys · 22/07/2026 13:46

I'm confused by OP - is it £2 "across the country", or everywhere except London?

In the old days someone wanting discussion on a proposal would link to it so we could read it for ourselves in context.

hansenhen · 22/07/2026 13:48

Such a weird take, like a 5 year old being jealous of their friend’s new toy. If you think it’s ‘amazing’ that it’s being capped at £2 what logic have you used to conclude it should cost more than it does elsewhere? I bet if you lived in London you wouldn’t be suggesting your bus fare went up.

Our fares are higher than £3 never mind £2 but I’m not sitting here thinking your fare should be raised because that would be very immature.

Poppinpoppinpopcorn · 22/07/2026 13:49

TheresMillionsOfGeoffreys · 22/07/2026 13:46

I'm confused by OP - is it £2 "across the country", or everywhere except London?

In the old days someone wanting discussion on a proposal would link to it so we could read it for ourselves in context.

Google is your friend

OP posts:
Bjorkdidit · 22/07/2026 13:49

MidnightPatrol · 22/07/2026 13:43

London’s bus fares cost £1.75, and are expected to increase to £1.85 in November.

Are you really so annoyed about that 15/25p difference?

Edited

It's the inequality. Everywhere else will be paying £2 and until the caps came in, paid quite a bit more. If people in London also start paying £2 then it will be a level playing field and could reduce the subsidy the rest of the country's buses will need. It might also pay for people to have more frequent buses like they do in London. So they're actually often enough and reliable enough to provide a viable alternative to a car.

Strangerthanfiction123 · 22/07/2026 13:50

Half the people who use tfl don’t pay anything! Who’s gonna stop then mini khan lol

TheresMillionsOfGeoffreys · 22/07/2026 13:50

Poppinpoppinpopcorn · 22/07/2026 13:49

Google is your friend

So are you not actually clear on what your OP was saying to the point you're asking people to Google what you meant?

ChiefCookandBottlewasher7 · 22/07/2026 13:51

Subsidised bus fares should only apply to those who are working/studying and pensioners, the idea should be to help those on a minimum wage to go to work. These bus fares should not be available to the unemployed, apart from on the day that they go to a job interview.

AlphaApple · 22/07/2026 13:52

Yetanothername3 · 22/07/2026 13:39

Go to Luxembourg, all trains, buses and trams are free within the country.

When they brought this in, they also cut services.

In rural areas in particular, this is only good news when existing routes and services are protected.

Sirzy · 22/07/2026 13:52

The £2 is a cap. It doesn’t stop anywhere having the fares under that.

Keeping prices of public transport low will encourage more people to use it which is surely a good thing?

TheresMillionsOfGeoffreys · 22/07/2026 13:54

MidnightPatrol · 22/07/2026 13:43

London’s bus fares cost £1.75, and are expected to increase to £1.85 in November.

Are you really so annoyed about that 15/25p difference?

Edited

Thank you for managing to outline in one sentence what OP couldn't manage to get across!

£2 cap (elsewhere) might actually tip the balance in favour of public transport for families vs parking. Currently it'd cost us £16 for a return trip to nearest city, and this would go down to £12.

Bikenutz · 22/07/2026 13:54

There should be a flat £2 fare wherever you are in the country. Simpler to administer, and the 25p uplift per ticket in London can help towards the reducing fares elsewhere.

Making public transport cheap and reliable benefits the economy and ordinary people.

menopausequeen · 22/07/2026 13:54

Poppinpoppinpopcorn · 22/07/2026 13:41

Let me guess, you are from London

And if you live or work in London everything else costs more

ChickenBananaBanana · 22/07/2026 13:55

ChiefCookandBottlewasher7 · 22/07/2026 13:51

Subsidised bus fares should only apply to those who are working/studying and pensioners, the idea should be to help those on a minimum wage to go to work. These bus fares should not be available to the unemployed, apart from on the day that they go to a job interview.

So those with less money should pay more? Hot take.

Bikenutz · 22/07/2026 13:55

Fair, but one could also say that the service is much better in London, there are two busses per day where I live. Not a viable car alternative for most of us.

Badbadbunny · 22/07/2026 13:57

menopausequeen · 22/07/2026 13:54

And if you live or work in London everything else costs more

Wages are also more, plus more job opportunities, so it's swings and roundabouts.

dontmalbeconme · 22/07/2026 13:58

It's capped at £2 isn't it? Not fixed fare of £2. I doubt London is the only place in the country with fare less than £2!

Most things are vastly, vastly more expensive in London than elsewhere, I can really get my knickers in a twist over a few pennies. I say this as a non bus using non Londoner.

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