After England introduced the new “Get around for £2” earlier in January, this won’t just save people money. In fact, it is hoped that cheap bus fares will reduce the transport carbon footprint by encouraging people to choose public transport over private cars.
‘Get around for £2’ on many English buses
Introduced earlier in January, the government-backed scheme encourages people to choose the bus over their private car. Meanwhile, besides helping with climate change, it also saves people money. On most routes, travelers can save around 30 percent, while some rural services will offer an 87 percent saving.
This means that bus fares in many areas of England will now cost no more than £2 (€2.26 / $2.44). With this new campaign, passengers will pay as little as one-third of the usual ticket price. Meanwhile, most of the major bus operators have signed up for the new deal.
According to experts, the “Get around for £2” initiative will curb emissions by saving as many as two million car journeys. Meanwhile, with the average national fare being £2.80 (€3.16 / $3.42) bus passengers can save around 30 percent on most routes and up to 87 percent on some rural bus services.
When were cheap bus fares introduced?
The initiative came into effect at the beginning of January, capping the price of single tickets for most of England’s bus services. Naturally, cheap bus fares won’t just benefit locals, as travelers can also gain cheap transport while on vacation in England.
Meanwhile, more than 130 bus operators in the country are participating in the initiative, including Stagecoach and National Express.
Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, representing bus operators told The Guardian:
Traveling for £2 on the bus both helps customers facing rising cost challenges and try a new travel option.
Meanwhile, the fare limit had already been introduced in the fall of 2022 across Liverpool, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. Moreover, single tickets on London buses now cost £1.65 (€1.86 / $2.00).
The cheap bus fares initiative is funded by a £60 million (€67 million / $73 million) UK government grant and is set to continue until the end of March. Moreover, the Department for Transport hailed the new scheme as a way to help the transport industry recover after the COVID pandemic. But, more importantly, the scheme is expected to help cut carbon emissions countrywide.
Speaking of the initiative, MP Richard Holden said:
The scheme will also take two million car journeys off the road and it’s fantastic to see so many bus operators signing up.
Europe going ‘green’
While green activists have praised the new initiative, England still lags behind some of the more ambitious measures taken across Europe. Spain’s government introduced free rail travel on most short and medium journeys in 2022. In addition, the scheme has now been extended to intercity bus services.
Speaking of the initiative, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the free travel scheme was brought in to help people during the cost of living crisis.
In Germany, a nationwide public transport ticket has been introduced that costs €49 ($53) per month. Previously, the country had introduced a €9 ($9.76) public transport pass last summer. At that time, 52 million tickets were purchased over the three-month period of the scheme.
Meanwhile, the Association of German Transport Companies estimates that while the scheme ran, an estimated 1.8 million tons of CO2 were spared. Moreover, this was considered the equivalent of planting 90 million trees.
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