Bus fares will be capped in the Portsmouth area amid the cost of living crisis

Bus passengers across Portsmouth can benefit from single bus fares capped at £2 for the winter under a government-backed campaign to encourage people back on to public transport.

Portsmouth City Council have partnered up with Stagecoach and First Solent who have also taken up the scheme, and

Any single bus fare, with bus providers taking part in the scheme which is First and Stagecoach, will be capped at £2 and fares that cost less than £2 will remain unchanged.

The temporary £2 bus fare cap on single adult fares does not change the concessionary fare scheme or impact free travel and the cap will run until March 31 in order to help people during the cost of living crisis.

Councillor Lynne Stagg, cabinet member for traffic and transportation, said: ‘It is great that the bus operators in Portsmouth have signed up to take part in the fare cap scheme. We know cost of living pressures are affecting many people and hopefully these discounted fares will help residents to cut costs as they use buses to get to school, work and other destinations around the city.

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‘By catching the bus, everyone can help to lower the number of cars in our city centre, reducing congestion, cutting emissions and making a real difference to the environment.’

According to the Department for Transport, it is expected that people can save almost a third of the ticket price for the average journey thanks to its £60million financial subsidy.