The Bus Fare Cap Must Not Become a Postcode Lottery

There is a quiet risk emerging in England’s bus network — and most passengers don’t yet realise it.

The national bus fare cap has provided stability at a time when everything else has been rising in price. For many people, it has meant knowing that a single journey will not suddenly cost £4, £5 or more overnight.

That certainty matters.

As a working bus driver in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, I see first-hand who relies on affordable bus travel:

Young people getting to college

Care workers finishing long shifts

Families without access to a car

Workers commuting on tight budgets

For them, the fare cap is not a political slogan. It’s practical protection.

But here is the issue.

The current national fare cap is time-limited.

If it ends without a clear long-term solution, fares in many areas could rise sharply and unevenly. Some Combined Authorities may try to maintain local caps. Others may not be able to afford to. Some commercial areas may revert to full market pricing.

That would create something deeply unfair:

A postcode lottery in bus fares.

London Shows What Stability Looks Like

Under Transport for London, passengers have had a stable flat bus fare structure for years. Integrated ticketing. Daily caps. Clear pricing. Predictability.

And I applaud that.

But why should affordability stop at the M25?

Why should a care worker in Camden have more fare certainty than a care worker in Mansfield?

Why should a student in Islington have more protection than an apprentice in Derby?

Fairness should not depend on your postcode.

Why This Matters Beyond Fares

This is not just about passengers — though they come first.

Fare instability suppresses demand.

When fares rise sharply:

Passenger numbers fall.

Services become less viable.

Networks contract.

Jobs come under pressure.

Affordable fares support ridership. Ridership supports services. Services support communities. Communities support jobs.

This is about the long-term health of the bus industry.

What I Am Doing

I have submitted Freedom of Information requests to 15 Combined Authorities across England to understand:

What contingency planning exists if the national fare cap ends.

Whether modelling has been undertaken on potential fare increases.

Whether authorities are considering local alternatives.

What discussions are taking place with the Department for Transport.

This is not about party politics.

It is about preparedness, fairness and stability.

The responses will tell us whether England is heading towards coherence — or fragmentation.

What I Want to See

I believe the existing national bus fare cap should be extended and placed on a permanent footing.

The structure already exists. Operators understand it. Passengers understand it. Funding mechanisms exist.

We are not starting from scratch.

What we need now is long-term certainty.

A National Conversation

Bus reform, franchising and local control are advancing across England.

That makes fare policy even more important.

If we get this wrong, we risk creating different prices, different rules and different protections depending on where you live.

If we get it right, we create stability, fairness and confidence in public transport.

This is a moment to think carefully about the future of bus fares in England.

Because once passengers are priced off the network, they are hard to win back.

And once fairness is fragmented, rebuilding it becomes harder still.

The conversation needs to start now — not when the cap expires.

Lee Odams

Bus Driver

RMT Branch Secretary – Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire