Millions to get £2 bus tickets for three months - full list of companies offering deal

More than 120 bus companies in England will cap fares at £2 from January 1 - but the scheme is branded 'half-baked' as the discount will only apply for three months

Buses in Birmingham City Center - the West Midlands is one of the areas to include (

Image: Birmingham Courier)

One-way bus fares for millions of people in England will be capped at £2 from January 1 to March 31.

More than 120 operators, including Stagecoach and National Express, will take part in the scheme, the government confirmed today.

"Get Around for £2" was first announced by former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in September.

He wanted the cap to last 12 months - but his plan was left in the filing as Rishi Sunak makes cutbacks.

Instead, it will run for just three months, funded by a £60million government grant.

Fares are expected to go up on March 31, unless bus companies find the money themselves.

Broader Covid recovery funding is also set to run out in March, raising questions over hundreds of stricken routes.

The Labor mayor of West Yorkshire - where fares have been £2 since September - called the scheme "half-baked".

Tracy Brabin (right) said, "This is yet another half-baked measure from the government" (

Picture:

Getty Images)

Tracy Brabin said, "While our program will cap rates for three years, the government's program will only do so for three months.

"This will not cover all bus operators, and without certainty on the extension of the Bus Recovery Grant, we could still see operators cut services or go to the wall in April.

"This is yet another half-baked government measure that just doesn't go far enough to address the real issues."

The scheme does not apply in London, where fares are £1.65, nor in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire, which already have fare caps.

Government officials...