Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the £2 bus fare cap beyond June 2023.

The Government is providing up to £135 million to help bus operators cap single fares at £2 on services in England outside London from 1 January until 30 June. The fare cap is designed to be a short-term intervention and will conclude at the end of June.

We are monitoring its impacts and outcomes of the cap so that we will be in position to understand the changes it has brought on passenger savings, satisfaction, any effect on patronage and bus use. We will be using these results to inform future approaches, policies and interventions to support the bus sector.

The Government is also providing over £1 billion to support the delivery of local Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), which will include measures to introduce lower bus fares, including local £2 fare caps in places including Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.