Burnham rejects PM's plan to hike cap on bus fares

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has broken ranks with Sir Keir Starmer to reject controversial plans to raise the bus fare cap by 50 per cent.

- KATE DEVLIN

The cost of a bus journey in the city will still be capped at £2, Mr Burnham has announced. Sir Keir announced in a speech in Birmingham on Monday the maximum bus fare will rise to £3 in England until the end of 2025, in a bid to ease pressure on the public finances.

The hike will be announced at Rachel Reeves’ Budget today as the government tries to plug a £22bn hole in the public finances. But Mr Burnham said yesterday that Manchester would “proceed with our plan to introduce a new simpler, flatter fare structure based around a £2 single fare” at the start of January. He added: “Because of the decisions we have taken, and the progress we have made, GM (Greater Manchester) is in a different position to other areas across England when it comes to bus funding and bus fares.”