A £2.50 cap on the cost of bus journeys across the North East looks set to be extended by at least three months.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness and council leaders are due to sign off on proposals next week to keep the £2.50 limit for an adult’s single bus ticket in place until the end of March 2026.
The national fare cap for adults jumped from £2 to £3 at the end of last year, a move that critics branded a “stealth tax” from the Labour government amid concerns about the affordability of public transport.
Ms McGuinness’ North East Combined Authority (NECA) subsequently stepped in with funding which allowed the North East’s cap to be set at 50p below the higher national rate, though leaders in Greater Manchester and Liverpool have gone further by maintaining the previous £2 cap.
And NECA’s cabinet will be asked next Tuesday to agree to extend that offer beyond its current December 31 deadline until March 31, 2026, at a cost of £8.7 million.
Image: Go North East
But a decision on what will happen to the fare cap beyond that point is not expected to be made until November this year, with a NECA report saying that remains subject to confirmation of new government bus funding and “ongoing commercial discussions”.
Nationally, the £3 cap has already been extended to the end of March 2027.
The set of North East fares due to be extended includes:
- £2.50 adult single
- £1 Under 22 single
- £3 Under 22 multi-modal capped day ticket
- £5 Durham Day Rover
- £6 Northumberland Day Rover
- 6.80 Tyne & Wear Day Rover
- £7.50 TNE Day Saver
Ms McGuinness said: “While bus operators continue to put profits over people, we’re doing what we can to keep travel affordable until we can bring buses back under public control. I’m proud that our £2.50 single bus fare, our £1 fare for everyone aged 21 and under and range of day tickets have been helping so many people travel more affordably in the North East. Local people have told me they value these tickets, and they help them save money.
“I want to make sure we continue to provide cheaper travel for everyone, so I’ll be making the case to extend these fares, including our young persons fare and the £2.50 single cap – which is 50p cheaper than the national cap – using existing funding until at least March 2026 to begin with, while we work with Government for clarity on bus funding in the longer-term.”
Next week’s NECA meeting, to be held at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum, is also due to see approval granted for other transport investments, including:
- Confirmation of a £10.9 million grant to Northumberland County Council for completion of construction work at the Northumberland Park Station, part of the Northumberland Line railway;
- £150,000 for a study to identify priorities to improve the safety of women and girls travelling on the North East’s transport network;
- £150,000 to procure a supplier to undertake an accessibility review of the region’s transport network and identify priorities for investment;
- £23 million towards sustainable transport schemes in County Durham – including active travel measures in Durham city, the replacement of the Baths Footbridge, and development of the Stockton and Darlington Railway walking and cycling route.
