Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 721 on Bus Services: Concessions, what the average cost per passenger journey to the public purse of the £2 National Bus Fare Cap scheme was in each county in England since 1 January 2023.

The £2 National Bus Fare Cap is a voluntary scheme for eligible bus operators, who are provided a bespoke funding allocation to reimburse the difference between the cap and the shadow commercial fare.

It is not possible to calculate the average cost per passenger journey in each county, or any designated geographic area, because the fare cap reimbursement is provided directly to bus operators, who do not operate exclusively within geographic boundaries.

The Department is unable to disclose the amounts that specific operators have received under the scheme as contributions are calculated based on commercially sensitive data. The total government investment to cap bus fares at £2 between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024 is around £600 million.