Normally when we run a story on fare changes it includes the words “increase” but this time we can report on the introduction of a £2 fare cap on all tram and bus services in South Yorkshire as from 1st November. This is part of Oliver Coppard’s, the Mayor of South Yorkshire, bold plan to tackle the cost of living crisis and comes over two months ahead of national £2 cap on bus journeys due to be introduced between January and March 2023.
As the name suggests this initiative will see fares capped at a maximum of £2 – any fare which is currently below this level will be unaffected and will not be increased to match. Although not clarified in the press release this relates to a single journey. The nationwide scheme, announced by the government earlier this year, is due to see bus fares capped between January and March 2023 but South Yorkshire are going further by introducing it from November and also including the trams too.
Oliver Coppard said: “As we head into winter, I know just how many people in South Yorkshire are worrying about feeding their families, heating their homes, and affording the very day to day basics as the cost of living continues to spiral. Public transport is part of the solution. That’s why we’re not just introducing the £2 fare cap early here in South Yorkshire, we’re extending it to include trams. Because while the Government’s temporary fare cap is welcome, it doesn’t go far enough to support the thousands of people in our region who rely on our buses and tram network. Alongside the Zoom Beyond fares at just 80p for young people, we now have some of the best public transport fares in the country. We have a broken public transport network here in South Yorkshire but bit by bit we’re making things better for the travelling public. This is just another step on that journey.”
The fare capping will cost £600,000 and could see some passengers save up to 50% on journeys and reduce the cost of over 700,000 journeys that currently cost more than £2.