Fare cap results in rise in North Yorkshire bus passenger numbers

A council report said Coastliner credited the fare cap with "saving" one of its routes

The introduction of £2 bus fares has seen passenger numbers in North Yorkshire increase by 11% in the last year.

A council report said the growth had helped passenger numbers on commercial services recover to 90% of pre-Covid levels.

However, North Yorkshire Council was told it had also led to some services becoming overcrowded at times.

The authority also heard bus firms were still facing pressure over fuel costs.

The £2 cap on a single bus ticket was introduced by the government as a cost-of-living measure and to help bus firms bring passenger numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.

Introduced as a temporary measure in 2023, it has been extended several times and is due to expire at the end of December.

A report to a meeting of the council's transport scrutiny committee said feedback from bus companies about the cap had been "mainly positive, in that the scheme is generating more passenger journeys, although the level of funding provided is not always enough to provide extra capacity".

'Overloading issues'

The report also said the fare cap had been "a significant factor" in Yorkshire Coastliner's decision not to withdraw the Route 840 Leeds to Whitby service.

The firm had suggested the route, once voted the most scenic in the UK, might end, prompting a petition urging the Malton to Whitby leg to be saved.

However, in October 2023, Transdev announced "unprecedented" demand for the Coastliner service as people headed to Whitby for its annual goth weekend.

"The fare cap has been a significant factor in Yorkshire Coastliner's decision not to withdraw the Route 840 Leeds to Whitby service.

"However, it has led to some overloading issues, particularly on tourist routes and at busy times of the year."

The meeting also heard about the results of its transport survey which attracted responses from 5,000 people.

It found low levels of satisfaction with North Yorkshire's transport system, with concerns raised about availability, reliability and affordability.

The findings will help shape the council's transport plan, which has to be in place by December.