A transport policy author at University College London’s (UCL) Institute for Global Prosperity has called on the UK Government to go beyond its newly announced 2 GBP bus fare cap by introducing free local bus travel across England.
The comments follow Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s announcement that single bus fares in England will be capped at 2 GBP from January 2027 to help reduce the cost of travel.
Responding to the announcement, Andrew Percy, Co-Chair of the Social Prosperity Network at the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity and lead author of the Prosperity 2030 report, noted the fare cap represents a return to previous policy rather than a longer-term solution for the bus network.
He argued that bus patronage outside London has fallen significantly and that more substantial reform is needed to encourage greater use of public transport.
Andrew Percy, Co-Chair of the Social Prosperity Network at the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity and lead author of Prosperity 2030, said:The Prime Minister is right that no one should be priced out of getting to work, to school or to the shops. But a £2 cap is a return to where we were three years ago, not the reform our transport system needs. Bus use in England outside London has significantly dropped to 37 trips per person a year, and the bus network needs to be revitalised.
If the Government is serious about easing the cost of living and reaching net zero, buses should be free for all citizens and can be funded by tripling Air Passenger Duty.
The proposals form part of Prosperity 2030, a report published by UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity, which recommends establishing a Universal Transport Service.
Under the proposal, local bus services would become free at the point of use for all citizens and residents. The report also calls for bus service levels to double over a four-year period.
To fund the proposals, the report recommends tripling Air Passenger Duty, which it estimates would add around 26 GBP to the cost of a European flight, alongside closing what it describes as the VAT loophole for private jet travel.
However, the Government has not announced any plans to introduce free bus travel for all passengers, with its current policy focused on reinstating a nationwide 2 GBP maximum single fare from the start of 2027.
Elsewhere in the world, fare-free bus travel can be found in locations such as Logan, Utah. Alongside affordability, this policy leads to more efficient boarding, minimised dwell times, and reduced administrative costs associated with ticketing systems.
