08-07-2025
Calls for mayor to fund £2 bus fare cap in Nottinghamshire
Conservative councillors in Nottinghamshire have called for bus fares to be capped at £2.A cap on fares across England rose from £2 to £3 in January and was recently extended until "at least" March mayors, however, are able to fund their own schemes to reduce fares to lower than £3.A motion due to be discussed at a Nottinghamshire County Council meeting on Thursday calls on the Reform UK-run council to write to East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, asking that she fund such a cap.
Responsibility for regional transport will not officially transfer to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), which the mayor leads, until early next was announced at last month's spending review, however, that EMCCA will receive £2bn from central government to improve road, rail and bus motion also calls on the mayor to "continue supporting Nottinghamshire's existing bus services", including those currently subsidised by the councillor Mike Introna, who tabled the motion, said: "Public transport is about habit, reliability and trust. "If people know a bus will be there, they use it. If fares are affordable, they ditch the car. "We proved this works. Now it's up to the new Reform leadership to speak up at EMCCA and encourage the mayor to go even further."A spokesperson for EMCCA said a transport plan will be published in the coming months."Alongside our Bus Service Improvement Plan, it will set out how we'll invest in the region's bus network, from routes and timetables to how people pay to travel," the spokesperson said most of the £2bn secured from central government will be spent on infrastructure."We will have revenue funding to support subsidies to fares and routes, but we need to hear from residents before we prioritise that funding. "Their views will help shape our plans and reflect how residents get around and the services their communities need," the spokesperson County Council has been approached for comment.
