Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the £2 bus fare cap on passenger numbers in rural areas.

The Department for Transport is running a Monitoring and Evaluation exercise to review the £2 bus fare cap scheme so that we will be in position to properly assess the impact it has had on bus fares and patronage. The Department has now published two interim reports on GOV.UK, found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap, and will publish the final report evaluating the impact of the £2 fare cap by the end of Spring 2024.

The Department for Transport's local bus fare statistics show that between June 22 and June 23, bus fares have dropped by 7.4% in England, outside London, and by 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England. In Scotland, Wales and London, where the buses are devolved, fares increased by 10.3%, 6.3% and 6.0%, respectively.