List of buses as Andy Burnham announces £2 bus fare cap for passengers | UK | News

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that single bus fares across England will be capped at £2. Millions of bus passengers across the UK will see their travel costs fall next year, with a new cap on one-off fares being introduced.

The £2 bus fare cap is one of Andy Burnham’s first policy actions since becoming Prime Minister on Monday, July 20, 2026. It’s the second major policy he’s introduced in his first week as part of what he calls a “cost of living attack.”

The government confirmed on 22 July that the price cap will remain in place for several months in 2027. The price change is expected to make it cheaper for people to travel to work, school and appointments.

This new limit replaces the existing £3 limit. The change is part of a plan to help with the rising cost of living, especially for those living in rural areas who often have to pay much higher prices for longer journeys.

Where will it be applied?

The £2 cap will apply to most local bus routes across England, but London is not included as it already has a flat fare of £1.75. Local authorities in places such as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will decide whether to create similar schemes using extra funding from the UK government.

Which buses are included?

Although the final list of operators for 2027 has not yet been approved, the scheme follows the same voluntary framework as previous wage caps. In previous years over 140 bus companies have chosen to participate, representing over 90% of the UK bus network.

Most major bus companies are expected to participate; these will likely include:

• stagecoach
• arrival
• First Bus
• Continuation Group
• National Express West Midlands.

Other leading regional and local operators include:

• Blackpool Transport
• BorderBus
• Carousel Buses And Thames Travel (part of Oxford Bus Group)
• Centrally Connected Transport
• central bus
• Bus Services
• Dews Coaches
• East Yorkshire Buses
• Grant Palmer
• Ipswich Buses
• Nottingham City Transport (NCT)
• Big Lemon
• transdev (including The Harrogate Company, Keighley Bus Company and Burnley Bus Company)
• trentbarton.

It is important to note that the cap only applies to one-way tickets. It does not cover long-distance buses, school buses or private airport shuttles. Other tickets, such as day tickets or weekly packages, will remain at their regular prices.

The cap applies only to one-way point-to-point tickets. Return tickets, day tickets, weekly tickets and multi-operator seasonal packages are not subject to this limit.

It also excludes a few schools, premium express services or cross-border routes among participating companies. A comprehensive and up-to-date database of specific routes and local operators is available directly through the official GOV.UK Bus Fare Cap Guide.

Today’s £2 bus fare announcement comes alongside the government’s wider investment in buses. A statement by Lord Hendy, CBE of Richmond Hill gov.uk He says: “Earlier this year we announced over £100 million in additional support for the bus sector. Free bus ride for children aged 5-15 about participating in services in August within the scope of Great Britain Summer Savings Scheme.

“This investment also includes funding for local transport authorities and bus operators to cover rising costs in the sector, helping to maintain services and keep fares affordable. Today we confirmed the individual allocations local transport authorities will receive. The Government recognizes that affordable fares are only part of delivering better bus services.”

“We have committed more than £3bn for buses over the next 3 years, alongside significant reforms through the Bus Services Act 2025. These reforms give local transport authorities greater power and flexibility to shape bus services around the needs of their communities, through franchising, enhanced partnerships or other locally-led approaches.”