Closed petition: Reduce bus fare cap to £1.75 for journeys less than 5 miles & freeze for 3 years

Closed on 28 February 2026

Review the national bus fare cap and reduce for shorter journeys. Currently the cap is £3 for a single, which means passengers may be paying £6 a day return. Reduce the cap for shorter journeys (under 5 miles) to £1.75 and freeze the current £3 limit for at least 3 years for journeys over 5 miles.

With the cost of living crisis, we think the national bus fare cap limit of £3 for a single journey is being exploited by bus companies providing shorter journeys. For those travelling less than 5 miles in a single journey, we think the limit should be £1.75, in line with the TFL bus fares. For any single journey longer than 5 miles, we think the rate should be frozen at £3 for minimum 3 years. We think the 50% rise of the cap from £2 to £3 is not reflected in the majority of salary increases and must be reduced to help those commuting.