NCT bus users will benefit from reduced single fares between January and March 2023, thanks to a government-funded Help for Households initiative.
Passengers are being encouraged to Get Around for £2 by bus from January to March next year, with bus operators launching a campaign to promote the government fare cap scheme today (19 December 2022).
The scheme will help families, commuters and other passengers save money this winter, backed by £60 million of government investment to cap single tickets at £2 from 1 January to 31 March 2023 across England, outside of London.
With the average single local bus ticket costing £2.80, passengers will save almost a third of the ticket price per journey. In some rural areas, a single ticket can cost over £5.
The scheme seeks to get more commuters on buses and helps to reduce emissions and congestion by taking an estimated 2 million cars off the roads.
Today, the government has confirmed over 130 bus operators, such as National Express and Stagecoach, managing routes from the north to the south of England will charge no more than £2 for their single tickets, helping passengers with travel costs for education, work and medical appointments as they face pressures from the rising cost of living.
The maximum single fare for any journey will be £2 across all NCT services, including on routes through to Loughborough, Southwell and Woodborough.
The standard adult City Area single will reduce from £2.50 to £2.00 and customers who usually buy a £4.70 all-day ticket can pay just £4.00 per day, by changing to paying for a single ticket on both buses they use in a day.
The new fares will be available to buy using:
- Contactless on the bus – where customers just tap their card or device on the reader and the fares are deducted automatically at the end of the day
- NCTX Buses app
- Cash – exact fare required
- Robin Hood Pay As You Go cards
In the Outer Area, all Adult and Under 19 single fares that are currently over £2 will be charged at the promotional £2 fare.
Buses Minister Richard Holden said:
“Bus travel remains the most popular form of public transport in England, making up around half of all journeys.
“That’s why we’re investing £60 million to cap single bus fares at £2 to support every passenger and help get people back on the bus.
“With the scheme set to take two million car journeys off the road, it’s fantastic to see so many bus operators signing up to the fare cap, helping people to ‘Get Around for £2’ between the 1st January and 31st March.”
All single fares that are already lower than £2 and all other tickets, such as day tickets, all Easyrider products and longer-term mobile tickets, remain at their current prices.
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