Green councillors have urged the Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire to keep £2 bus fare cap.
In a letter to Tracy Brabin, Green Party councillors have called on her to follow the lead of her counterpart in Greater Manchester and commit to keeping the bus fare cap at £2.00.
This comes as the new government has hiked the fare cap to £3.00 in a move which could increase bus fares for millions of passengers. The new cap will be in place until the end of 2025.
Councillor Matt Edwards, the Leader of the Green Group on Bradford Council has
“For a government that says it doesn’t want to increase costs for working people, it’s unbelievable that they are raising the bus fare cap to £3. The bus fare cap was one of the few things introduced under the previous government which made a positive difference to people’s lives. The decision to hike bus fares is going to cause financial hardship to thousands of passengers across West Yorkshire, many who are already having to endure unreliable services.
“Bus users across Bradford District have already had to endure a difficult year following the closure of Bradford Interchange and now disruption caused by staff shortages impacting Arriva services. The Mayor of West Yorkshire has a large budget for transport, and we feel that making getting around as affordable as possible absolutely must be a priority.”
According to a Transport Focus poll, 80% of the public thought the existing policy helps with the cost of living and more than 40% said bus journeys were replacing ones they would have made by car.
Councillor Ros Brown (Ilkley Ward) also highlighted the environmental impact of the decision. She said,
“This isn’t just about affordability. This was about encouraging people to make choices that are better for our environment. This budget really was a missed opportunity to make a big leap towards helping people make more sustainable transport choices. Labour’s chancellor has hiked the cap on bus fares and increased rail fares which will make commuting more expensive for millions of people across the country. Fuel Duty is lower now than it was 15 years ago. Meanwhile the cost of public transport keeps rising.
“Climate breakdown presents a significant threat to people living in West Yorkshire. We only have to see the catastrophic damage cause by flooding in Valencia to see the impact our failure to address carbon emission is going to have.
“Addressing the emissions from how we get around is one of the simplest ways we can reduce overall emissions in our region. Using the bus instead of taking the car can help reduce CO2 by 42%.”