Bus fares kept below national cap, council says

Bus fares in Brighton and Hove will be kept below the £3 national cap, the city council says

Bus fares will continue to be discounted from later this month, Brighton & Hove City Council has confirmed.

Short and medium length trips across the city will be capped below the national £3 single-journey price, which rose earlier this year.

Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport, said the cap was "really good news for thousands of people who use the city's buses".

Prices for medium journeys will be subsidised from 28 April until autumn, the council said, while "short-hop" travel will remain at £1 until "at least the end of the year".

From 28 April, medium length journeys will drop from £2.80 to £2.50, the council said.

The type of trips covered by the fare include journeys from Seven Dials to George Street in Hove, or Palmeira Square to Brighton railway station in Queens Road.

Longer journeys will still be capped at the national £3 limit.

Student all-day fares will also be capped at a lower rate from the autumn, dropping to £4 from £4.40.

Added discounts will be paid for through additional funding from the Department for Transport, the council added.

Mr Muten said: "We've worked very hard with the city's bus operators to reduce the cost of medium length journeys, fares for students and extend the £1 short-hop fare offer until at least the end of the year.

"Making bus travel more affordable means we can connect residents and students with work, education and communities. It also makes bus travel more enticing, meaning people can make more sustainable travel choices.

"But this is just the start of an exciting 12 months with improvements to make bus journeys better for everyone."

Bus fares were previously capped at £2 per single journey but this was raised to £3 at the start of 2025.