Lib Dem MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough urges govt to protect the bus fare cap and invest in local bus services

Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon has called on the Labour Government to protect the bus fare cap. This comes after reports that the Transport Minister Heidi Alexander has refused to commit to the bus fare cap. 

The government hiked up the cap from £2 to £3 back in the autumn, with the Liberal Democrats calling the cap rise “effectively a bus tax”. 

However, commuters are facing another blow, following reports that Heidi Alexander has refused to confirm that the universal bus cap on single tickets won’t be scrapped - and will be to be replaced by a "targeted" scheme instead. Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon is urging the government to protect the bus fare cap, arguing the impact on Harrogate and Knaresborough could be catastrophic. 

Bus prices in Harrogate and Knaresborough are largely £3, making a two-way journey an expensive £6, already a hike from the £4 under the previous scheme. Tom has also been campaigning for those with disabled bus passes to be able to use their passes throughout the day, rather than at off-peak times – in North Yorkshire, you can only use a disabled bus pass from 9 o’clock, rather than throughout the day, making it harder and more expensive to get to work or an early appointment, for example. 

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, said: 

“Bus routes are absolutely vital for so many communities across the country, allowing them to get to school, work, shops or the hospital. For years, the Conservatives neglected bus routes and oversaw hundreds of cuts to vital services. 

"This Government’s decision to hike the bus fare cap has already hurt the most vulnerable people who rely on buses in their daily lives and are struggling to meet living costs. To now do away with the cap altogether would add insult to injury.

“The Government needs to change course and boost struggling local economies by investing in bus routes that have been pushed to the brink."

ENDS 

Notes to editors: 

The reports on bus fare caps were first reported in the Mirror.