To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many journeys were made using the £2 bus fare cap in (a) Suffolk and (b) Suffolk coastal district in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answered on
11 December 2023
The Department for Transport has contracted with external delivery partners to complete a robust monitoring & evaluation of the impact of the Bus Fare Cap Grant, and as a part of this, extensive data is collected from operators including the number of ticket sales. However, the data is commercially sensitive and cannot be disaggregated by region in a way that would provide journey numbers for Suffolk or Suffolk coastal district. The Department will publish the final report evaluating the impact of the £2 fare cap in the spring of 2024.
For 21/22 and 22/23, bus passenger journeys made in Suffolk were 9.5 million and 12.2 million respectively (BUS01: Local bus passenger journeys). This 28% increase in passenger journeys will likely have been impacted by the introduction of the £2 bus fare cap from 1 January 2023, which the Government has extended until the end of 2024. This takes total Government investment in the £2 bus fare cap to nearly £600 million.
The Department for Transport's local bus fare statistics show that between September 22 and September 23, bus fares have dropped by 6.2% in England, outside London, and by 11% in non-metropolitan parts of England. In Scotland, Wales and London, where the buses are devolved, fares increased by 9.8%, 6.2% and 6.0%, respectively.