£2 bus fares: Why it really matters that everyone can afford to take the bus - and that they arrive on time

One of Scarbrough's popular open top busesOne of Scarbrough's popular open top buses
One of Scarbrough's popular open top buses
There is no more important public transport than buses - undeniably, categorically and indisputably.

The national media spends a lot of time focusing on the terrible state of our railways and that is absolutely right. Why should we have to put up with so many delays and cancellations while forking out a fortune for tickets? Worse still, all our public transport used to be much better so we know it shouldn’t be as bad as it is now.

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But - and it is a big but - buses are what keep our cities and towns moving. They are 100% relied upon by the most needy in our society and that is probably why politicians and journalists who, like me, no longer have to use them, tend to focus on trains. It isn’t our every day lives so do we really care?

We have all needed buses at various points in our lives. It is where you catch up with all the gossip on the way to school, it is where you nod off after a busy day at work and it is where you cry tears of relief when they appear in time to get you to work after the regular, long delays.

Most teenagers I know aspire to get a car as soon as they are old enough because they don’t particularly like buses. That is a sad indictment of the service quality and a really bad sign for our planet.

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My childhood in Sheffield was entirely bus-based. We didn’t have a car and it cost just 2p for a child ticket, 5p for an adult. The Tory government’s hatred for the great South Yorkshire public transport revolution of the 1980s is sadly ancient history and buses have never recovered.

That is why the £2 cap on bus fares, although too high in my opinion, was such a good idea. I have to admit to being shocked at the cost of boarding a bus in the rare times I get the number 51 into town. But I was absolutely delighted to spend a day exploring the Lake District on a £2, open-top bus ticket in the summer. Buses don’t just have to be for short journeys through urban areas. Imagine the possibilities if we had affordable, good services everywhere.

The £2 cap has been a “real success” on which many depend, a Labour frontbencher said as she was pressed for a Government commitment on the future of the scheme that is due to end shortly.

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So why on earth is there even as question as to whether it will continue?

Hailing the initiative introduced by the Tories, Baroness Blake of Leeds said it had led people to change their transport habits and boosted passenger numbers.

She acknowledged “the clock is ticking” on a decision whether the popular policy will continue past the current end date of December 31.

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Lady Blake was speaking as opponents warned over the issue being “caught up in the pantomime of chaos in Downing Street”, following Sue Gray’s resignation as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after weeks of negative briefings against her.

Responding to a question in the Lords, she told peers: “The Government are looking at the future of the national bus fare cap as a matter of urgency and considering the most appropriate and affordable approach for the future of the scheme.”

Pressed to go further, she said: “So many people depend on this and it is very popular. Of all the schemes that have come into place, this one is very well known. The public actually know about it and this has led to an increase in patronage. People have changed their habits from using other forms of transport to using the bus. In my view, it has been a real success.”

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But Tory frontbencher Lord Moylan said: “The minister must know that if a decision is not made very quickly, almost immediately, the bus companies will not be able to implement the policy from December 31.

“Is this another one of those questions which is caught up in the pantomime of chaos in Downing Street? Why should passengers suffer because the Government cannot make a timely decision?”

Lady Blake said: “I do not recognise any of the pantomime within the Department for Transport. This is one of its top priorities.

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“Extra resource is being put into the department to deal with it… The outcome was delayed before the election, but I can assure him that the department is treating this as an absolute top priority.”

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley said: “The minister said that the department was working very hard to get a solution to this important problem. Can she put a better timescale on that, given that there are only a few weeks to go before the current funding scheme comes to an end?

“Are the Government holding this for a nice, hopeful announcement on budget day?”

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Lady Blake said: “Of course the budget is an important consideration as we go forward, and we know that it is coming up very soon.

“I assure him that work is carrying on at the moment. More capacity has gone into the department to deal with this. It knows that the clock is ticking and how important it is that a decision is made.”

Making people want to use buses and ensuring they are bearable for those who rely on them shouldn’t be a political decision. It is utterly vital to lives. Make our leaders take the bus more often and they might feel the need to accept less donations for expensive clothes, holidays or decorating their homes.

Common sense will be tragically lacking in number 10 if urgent action isn’t taken on buses, not least protecting what we already have ... the £2 cap.

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