The council has reconfirmed that £2 adult capped fares and £1 capped fares for under 22s will remain in place until 31 March 2025 – despite the national announcement that the fare cap in England will rise from £2 to £3 at the end of this year.
Additionally, following the Department for Transport’s announcement of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding for the coming year, the council is now discussing how this funding can be used to continue to keep low fares in place beyond March 2025.
Warrington is set to receive £3.8m in BSIP funding from the government for 2025/26, as part of a wider £148m investment to deliver better bus services across the North West.
With the forthcoming buses bill giving local leaders across England greater control to deliver bus services in a way that suits the needs of their communities, Warrington will now be looking at how the latest funding can be used to continue to drive forward a range of improvements, including the continuation of cheap fares.
Since 2022, Warrington has received more than £22m in BSIP funding, which is being used to ensure the town’s new fleet of electric buses is matched by first class services. Under the banner of ‘Better by Bus’, a range of improvements have been made to services, including:
- Fares capped at £2 single for adults, at any time and on any route in Warrington
- £1 single anywhere in Warrington for young people up to age 22 on most routes
- Free concessionary pass travel at any time of day, seven days a week.
- Enhanced timetables, with more frequent buses every day
- Free local bus travel for care leavers aged between 18-22
- Brand new bus shelters across the network
Warrington Borough Council Leader and cabinet member for transport, Cllr Hans Mundry, said: "We welcome this latest BSIP funding from the government, which will enable us to continue on our journey towards transforming bus services in Warrington.
“The funding we’ve received in recent years has been put to excellent use, delivering a range of improvements across the board - from cheaper fares and enhanced timetables to free concessionary travel, all day - complementing our fantastic new fleet of all-electric buses.
“We’ve seen particular success with our £2 and £1 capped fares, which we had already committed to keep in place until March 2025. Now, with confirmation of this latest funding from the government, we’ll be looking closely at how we can continue to keep fares low throughout 2025, and what further improvements we can make to ensure all our communities benefit from modern, reliable and attractive bus services, now and in the future.”
Further announcements about bus fares in Warrington from April 2025-onwards will be made in the near future.