Bus passengers in Beverley may be able to take advantage of cheap travel for a little bit longer after the government extended its £2 bus fare cap until June.
East Yorkshire, the company which operates the bus company that operates the majority of services in the area, has been part of the scheme which was due to run until the end of March.
Last week the government said it would invest a further £80 million from Saturday 1st April to Friday 30th June as it looks to protect services for those who rely on them for work, education, medical appointments and shopping.
And, at the same time, the government said it would also provide up to £75 million to allow bus operator to continue capping single bus fares at £2 until the end of June.
With the average single local bus fare costing £2.80, passengers can save almost a third of the ticket price.
The bus operators who are continuing the scheme will be confirmed in due course.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, bus usage dropped to 10 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and the government has provided financial support totalling more than £2 billion since March 2020.
With bus patronage still at around 85-90 per cent of pre-COVID levels, there are a number of ongoing challenges for bus operators.
The government is working closely with the sector on the challenges they face with changing travel patterns since the pandemic and will continue to work on delivering the National Bus Strategy.
The government’s existing £60 million investment to cap single bus fares has already shown early signs of increased bus use, with an independent survey of 1,000 people from passenger watchdog Transport Focus showing seven per cent of people saying they are using the bus more.
