Council wants bus fares kept 'as low as possible'

The cap on single bus journeys is set to rise to £3

Cornwall Council says it wants to keep prices for single bus tickets as low as possible after the government announced it planned to raise a nationwide price cap.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the £2 cap on single bus journeys is set to rise to £3 in the Budget on Wednesday.

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: "We’ve been subsidising fares to keep them at reduced prices since we introduced our Bus Fares Pilot in April 2022, allowing passengers to save millions of pounds.

"We look forward to receiving details of any new scheme, and will continue to work with the Department for Transport to continue to keep all single bus tickets at as low a price as possible going forwards."

'Reliance on buses'

The existing cap was introduced under the previous Conservative government and is due to expire at the end of December.

Sir Keir has said: "I do know how much this matters, particularly in rural communities where there is heavy reliance on buses."

The new £3 cap, covering most bus journeys in England, will run until the end of 2025.

The council recently reversed a decision to get rid of some weekly bus passes after a public backlash.