Local £2.50 bus cap extended until March 2027
BBCSingle bus tickets will remain capped at £2.50 until 2027, the North East Mayor has confirmed.
The cost of a single journey on a bus in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham has been capped at 50p cheaper than the national rate this year.
The discount, which has been subsidised by the North East Combined Authority (NECA), has now been extended until the end of March 2027.
Labour's Kim McGuinness said the lower fares had led to nine million more passengers choosing to take the bus, adding: "We are bucking a national trend."
She said the region had seen an 8% increase in bus passengers this year compared to a 1% rise across the rest of the country, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In June, the government announced that the £3 cap on bus fares, covering most bus journeys in England, would last until at least March 2027.
The cap, which was first introduced in January 2023, was increased to £3 from £2 at the start of 2025.
There are separate bus caps in other parts of the country such as London, Manchester and Liverpool.
'Control the costs'
Other proposals signed off by NECA on Tuesday include keeping single bus tickets for people aged 21 and under capped at £1, as well as £3 for day tickets.
The region-wide adult day rover will also remain priced at £7.50 until 2027, which McGuinness described as an "absolute minimum".
However, the cost of the Durham-only day rover bus ticket will jump from £5 to £6, and cheaper fares for young people will be limited only to those who have a Pop Blue smartcard.
The £6.80 Tyne and Wear day rover pass will also be discontinued.
NECA said it needed to "control the costs" of its subsidised fares due to inflation and an "increased risk of fraudulent purchase of young peoples' fares".
It currently costs the authority £32m a year to offer the subsidies, which it said would jump to £37m if new restrictions were not introduced in the next financial year.
