Bus fares capped at £2 until June as passengers win battle against ministers

Cheaper bus tickets will be available in England for another three months after government ministers drop their threat to scrap the £2 fare cap at the end of March The extension of the bus fare cap is a victory for passengers (

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A £2 cap on bus fares for millions of people in England will be extended until the end of June.

In a huge win for passengers, cheaper tickets will be available for another three months after they were supposed to end at the end of March.

Labour has accused ministers of having it 'all the way' after threatening to remove the £2 cap as families grapple with soaring bills.

Activists are calling for the policy to be made permanent to prevent benefits from being lost when prices rise.

The average one-way bus fare for a 3-mile journey outside of London is £2.80, meaning passengers will save almost a third of the one-way fare.

Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said ministers took it "all the way" (

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Passengers in rural areas, where tickets can cost upwards of £5, will find even greater savings.

Rishi Sunak has agreed to an investment of £75million to help make travel more affordable until the end of March.

Up to £80million has also been confirmed to support essential bus services people rely on for work, education, medical appointments and shopping.

Buses have struggled to stay afloat after usage plummeted during shutdowns to as much as 10% of pre-pandemic levels.

The cap on single bus fares has already shown early signs of improvement, with 7% of people saying they have used the bus more, according to a survey of 1,000 people by passenger watchdog Transport Focus .