Latest news with #busfares
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Tiger bus pass in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is extended
Young people will continue to receive cut-price bus fares after a popular scheme was of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) board agreed to keep Tiger passes until 31 March gave under-25s access to £1 bus journeys and have been used for about 1.8 million trips since May 2024, but concerns had been raised about funding mayor Paul Bristow said it was "exactly the kind of scheme we should be prioritising" at a meeting on Tuesday. However, it was agreed the local fare cap - which prices single journeys for older riders at £2.50 - would end on 31 October to free up £1.4m to fund the meant tickets would increase to £3 from that date. Tiger passes were introduced in May 2024 and their budget was due to run out in a Conservative, said: "I inherited a scheme that was going to run out of money this autumn. "Now users have certainty until April next year, while we, as a board, get the detail right on a Tiger pass that's a permanent fixture of public transport in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough."The estimated cost of the Tiger pass extension was £ representatives on the board suggested reallocating underspends from other budgets to save axing the fare their proposal was not supported by other members and the motion was unanimously board agreed to develop ways of making the Tiger pass permanent over the meeting, members also decided to begin procurement of bus services on the number nine from Littleport to Cambridge and 31 from Ramsey to would be funded by scrapping the South Cambridgeshire DRT, number 15 Haslingfield to Royston and number 8A March to Cottenham. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Welsh £1 youth bus scheme extended to children
Plans to cap single bus fares at £1 for 16 to 21-year-olds in Wales will now be extended to younger children.A discounted bus travel scheme for young people - due to begin in September - had been criticised because five to 15-year-olds could end up paying more for buses than older Welsh government has now decided to extend the year long pilot to younger children, although they will benefit from November, two months later than 16 to 21-year-olds Cymru, which had accused ministers of botching the original plans, said ministers had committed an "unacceptable oversight" as a result of a "last-minute" budget deal. Single fares in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport for five to 15-year-olds are all currently higher than the planned bus scheme was part of an agreement between Welsh Labour and the Welsh Liberal Democrats in February which allowed the government's spending plans to fares will cost £1 and day passes £3. Those aged 16 to 21 will need a Mytravelpass to get the holders already get a third off fares, although only a third of 16 to 21-year-olds are who already have a pass will not need to reapply, but new applicants will have to wait until 21 July until they can sign up aged five to 15 will not need a pass to qualify. The pilot is due to close at the end of August part of the scheme will start later - officials say complexities to do with the use of the public bus network for school bus travel have meant it has taken longer to set up. Ministers have found an extra £7m to pay for the extension - raising the cost from £15m to £ companies need to sign up for young people to benefit - officials say they expect the vast majority to do so, with discussions under Minister Eluned Morgan said: "Cutting the cost of travel for young people and providing better transport for all is one of our top priorities. We are delivering our promises to young people across Wales." Peredur Owen Griffiths of Plaid Cymru said: "The original proposals were absurd, with young people under 15 being left having to pay more to use buses on which they rely so much."This unacceptable oversight was a result of desperate last-minute deals from Labour, who were seeking any way to get their unambitious and insufficient Budget Welsh Conservatives' Sam Rowlands said: "Welsh Conservatives have long called for free bus travel for young people, to help them access the education, training and employment they need."More investment is needed to support bus routes in rural communities, ensuring all parts of society can access bus travel."
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
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.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough authority look into £180 bus route
An authority is looking into reasons why a rural bus route cost £180.32 per passenger to run last number 15 between Haslingfield, Cambridgeshire and Royston, Hertfordshire, cost £50,668.61 in the year to April 2025 and carried 281 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) published the data ahead of a meeting looking into ways to fund its Tiger Pass discounted scheme for young authority is planning on ending a cap on local bus fares early to extend £1 bus travel for under-25s, which it said "without action ... will cease". Six bus routes in Cambridgeshire cost more than £50 per passenger to run last year, according to a report being presented to the CPCA on Tuesday, including: The 8A between March and Cottenham (£100.33 per passenger)The 13B between Nosterfield End and Linton (£98.47 per passenger)The 31 between Cambridge and Fowlmere (£76.89 per passenger)The 26 between Royston and Cambridge (£71.76 per passenger)And 68 between St Ives bus station and Boxworth (£59.48 per passenger)An additional three on-demand routes launched in January, which meant data did not cover the full year, cost £180.11 per passenger in South Cambridgeshire, £74.11 in East Cambridgeshire and £65.68 in report said it was also investigating why annual passenger numbers on the once-weekly number 15 bus had dropped from 400 to 281 in a services became better value to run, including the number18 between Newmarket and Teversham, which was £27.93 cheaper per passenger than the year before. At Tuesday's meeting, the CPCA will discuss ways to extend the Tiger Pass scheme beyond this autumn to March, at an expected cost of £ transport committee will also discuss ways to make the scheme extend Tiger Passes, it will be asked to axe the locally-funded £2.50 bus fare cap earlier than planned, in CPCA is planning to franchise the region's bus network, meaning it will eventually take control of fares, routes, timetables and service standards.A Combined Authority spokesperson said: "Under the budget set in January 2025, the local fare cap is already due to end in December and funding for the current, temporary Tiger Pass, will run out in November. "Without action, £1 fares for the under-25s will cease."A final decision on the plans will be made by the CPCA board on 22 July. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire's Tiger pass £1 fares must be 'fully costed'
A mayoral authority said there was "clear and unanimous" support for making a scheme that gave young people cheaper bus fares Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) added that extending the Tiger pass beyond the autumn would need to be "fully costed".It came after Labour East claimed the pass - which gave under-25s £1 fares - was under threat and set up a petition to save it.A spokesperson for the CPCA, which is led by Conservative mayor Paul Bristow, said there had been a "misunderstanding" over decisions made at a meeting on 4 June and there was "unanimous desire to retain the pass". The CPCA spokesperson said: "At the recent board meeting, there was a clear and unanimous desire to retain the pass in a permanent form."However, any permanent scheme must be both sustainable and fully costed. "The transport committee has therefore been asked to explore and evaluate viable options to achieve this."The Tiger pass has been used for more than one million journeys and gives £1 fares on a single bus journey to children and young people under the age of the meeting, a recommendation backed by Bristow to use money raised from the bus fare cap to continue the Tiger pass until March 2026 was voted East set up a petition, claiming that Bristow had refused to rule out who has previously confirmed his plan to keep the Tiger pass scheme going, did not wish to respond to Labour's claims.A paper outlining options for the future of the pass will be presented to the CPCA's transport and infrastructure committee on 25 June. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
