Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has confirmed that the £2 bus fare cap will remain in place until the end of 2025, despite the national cap rising to £3 earlier this year.

The move, announced today, comes ahead of the festive season and is part of the Mayor’s wider strategy to make public transport more affordable and accessible as the region’s bus network transitions to franchising and public ownership.

First introduced in September 2022 using funding from the region’s Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP) settlement, the £2 cap has helped boost bus passenger numbers in the wake of the pandemic. It was due to end in September 2025, but the Mayor has now extended it through to December 2025 in a further commitment to keep costs down for local people.

Since its launch, the cap has saved passengers money across the network, including cross-river services, transforming bus from the most expensive to the cheapest way to cross the Mersey. Bus remains the backbone of public transport in the city region, making up more than 80% of daily journeys.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“I promised that we’d cap fares for three years, not only have we done that, we’ve been able to extend this even further.

“By keeping bus fares capped at £2 until the end of 2025, we’re making sure that people can continue to get to work, school, and appointments without worrying about rising travel costs. At a time when many other parts of the country are seeing fares increase, we’re choosing to do things differently here in the Liverpool City Region – making public transport more affordable, fairer, and better for everyone.

“And with the busy — and often expensive — Christmas period around the corner, I’m glad this decision will give families a little extra breathing space too. It’s one of the ways we’re putting money back into people’s pockets and encouraging more people to use our fantastic public transport system.”

The £2 cap builds on wider improvements delivered by the Mayor to modernise local transport, including:

• A £500m fleet of publicly owned trains
• The launch of the ‘Tap and Go’ smart ticketing system on Merseyrail
• The MyTicket for young people, offering unlimited all-day bus travel for just £2.20
• A free travel pass for care leavers aged 18–21
• One of the most generous concessionary schemes in the UK, giving Merseyside residents aged 60+ free travel on buses, trains, and Mersey Ferry commuter services

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