England to cap most non-London bus fares at £2 from 2027

Britain’s new government, led by Andy Burnham, says most England bus fares outside London will be capped at £2 from 1 January 2027, a policy costing over £500m funded by reallocating £454m from the DESN budget and other sources. The move echoes Burnham’s earlier Manchester caps and aims to ease living costs and support rural and coastal travel, though officials acknowledge it isn’t a complete solution to inflation or public-transport funding. The plan follows prior caps that helped affordability in parts of England and builds on the broader goal of boosting bus usage amid post-pandemic recovery.