'Labour isn't on your side' ...Starmer slammed for 50% hike in bus fare cap
Daily Express|October 29, 2024
THE Prime Minister provoked widespread fury ahead of tomorrow's Budget by hiking the bus fare cap from £2 to £3.
Martyn Brown
'Labour isn't on your side' ...Starmer slammed for 50% hike in bus fare cap

Sir Keir Starmer's deeply unpopular decision, which will hit travel routes across the country, is a hammer blow for commuters.

It comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Budget is widely expected to clobber people with up to £40billion in punishing tax rises.

Speaking in Birmingham yesterday, Sir Keir said the current cap was funded only until the end of this year.

He added: "I do know how much this matters, particularly in rural communities where there's heavy reliance on buses.

"And that's why I'm able to say to you that in the Budget we will announce there will be a £3 cap on bus fares until the end of 2025, because I know how important it is."

The previous £2 cap, introduced by the Tories, had kept travel costs down for millions of passengers.

Conservative MP Richard Holden said Labour made the decision to hike the cap by 50% to pay for swingeing tax rises, warning it was proof that "Labour isn't on your side".

Commuter groups also slammed the price hike for buses, used by around 3.4 million people in England. Silviya Barrett, director of policy and research at Campaign for Better Transport, said the £2 limit had "really helped" people.

She added: "We have had some supporters who have saved about £100 a month."

The Confederation of Passenger Transport said raising the cap from £2 has avoided travellers facing a "cliff edge" at the end of this year.

This story is from the October 29, 2024 edition of Daily Express.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 29, 2024 edition of Daily Express.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DAILY EXPRESSView All
England must change to end sorry spin cycle
Daily Express

England must change to end sorry spin cycle

After a record-breaking victory in the opening Test in Pakistan, England lost the next two. As they prepare to visit New Zealand next month, RORY DOLLARD looks at the key questions facing the side.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 29, 2024
ALL-WEATHER FRIEND
Daily Express

ALL-WEATHER FRIEND

First broadcast a century ago after a devastating storm sank a steam clipper off the Welsh coast with 450 deaths, the Shipping Forecast remains a daily must-listen for millions of landlubbers. A new book examines why we get so misty-eyed over this cryptic bulletin

time-read
5 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Condition is for life...but does not mean the end of yours
Daily Express

Condition is for life...but does not mean the end of yours

CHARLOTTE Ratcliff suffered a stroke weeks after giving birth by C-section and now shares tips and advice with other survivors and families.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Stroke ordeal leaves one in 10 survivors feeling suicidal
Daily Express

Stroke ordeal leaves one in 10 survivors feeling suicidal

But connecting with others plays crucial role on road to recovery

time-read
2 mins  |
October 29, 2024
D-Day hero, 99, dies days before role at Cenotaph
Daily Express

D-Day hero, 99, dies days before role at Cenotaph

A D-DAY veteran has died at the age of 99 - days before he was due to play a leading role at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Being Elvis's grandchild, I'm always having to prove myself
Daily Express

Being Elvis's grandchild, I'm always having to prove myself

Riley Keough on 'nepo-baby' tag

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
'Sergei said Putin would get him if he returned to Russia'
Daily Express

'Sergei said Putin would get him if he returned to Russia'

SERGEI Skripal's former neighbour has told how the ex-spy claimed that President Vladimir Putin would \"get him\" if he returned to Russia.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Heap of trouble for Trump as rally act dubs Puerto Rico ‘a floating island of garbage'
Daily Express

Heap of trouble for Trump as rally act dubs Puerto Rico ‘a floating island of garbage'

DONALD Trump's homecoming New York City campaign rally descended into chaos when a warm-up comedian described Puerto Rico as a \"floating island of garbage\".

time-read
2 mins  |
October 29, 2024
Olivier's crown for sale...and nose throne in
Daily Express

Olivier's crown for sale...and nose throne in

A CROWN and prosthetic nose worn by Laurence Olivier when he played Richard III are being offered for sale as part of a vast collection of props.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024
Sir David: TV's too vulgar.We need to go back to the BBC's standards of 1940s
Daily Express

Sir David: TV's too vulgar.We need to go back to the BBC's standards of 1940s

DEL Boy legend David Jason has lashed out at constant swearing and crudity in modern TV shows - saying he wished Britain could go back to the rules of the 1940s.

time-read
1 min  |
October 29, 2024