New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will put the country on an 'accelerated path' to integrated public transport in the mould of his Greater Manchester Bee Network. In an integrated system, local buses, trams and trains can link together under a single system for ticketing and scheduling – meaning a daily or weekly cap can be placed on how much people pay.
Travellers in London can use an Oyster or contactless bank card to tap on and off various modes of transport, while major bus stations are often conveniently placed outside stops on the Underground. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham introduced the publicly controlled Bee Network with a similar goal in mind.
Burnham's Vision for Integrated Transport
He told Metro: 'I'd love to see this across all of England, integrating buses and trains and trams where they exist into a single system. So when you tap in, it's like London, you're all under the cap, and people can take as many buses and trains as they like and they only pay up to a certain level. That's what we need. I think most other countries have it. I'm going to put Britain on an accelerated path to lower cost, integrated public transport.'
Speaking in Bath to launch the new £2 bus fare cap for England, Burnham said the same cap on Manchester buses was 'probably the most popular thing I ever introduced'. He said: 'It's just simple, it helps people every day, it encourages people out of their cars, it connects people to jobs and training. It's one of those policies that works on every single level, and it works for the public most of all because it deals with their main concern, the cost of living pressures they're under.'
Background on Fare Caps
In 2024, then-PM Sir Keir Starmer announced the fare cap would rise from £2 to £3 as funding for the original Conservative policy was set to expire. Burnham soon responded by saying he would be keeping the cap intact for Greater Manchester, saying it would 'help our residents in these difficult times'.
This morning's announcement will apply to fares for participating buses in England from January 1 next year until the end of 2027. It means bus riders will not face a significant hike in price, with some parts of the country facing fares of £15 for a single trip without a cap. The PM said the measure would be funded through 'reprioritisation' of government cash, adding: 'I'm not making commitments that I can't pay for.'
Funding and Impact
According to Downing Street, the money will be lifted from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero budget, by using underspends and switching international climate finance investments to loans. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander – who kept her job in Burnham's Monday reshuffle – said: 'We're cutting fares by a third to help with the cost of living, open up opportunities and keep people connected to work, school, healthcare and their friends and family.'
In London, a single bus ride costs £1.75 with no extra charge for other rides taken within an hour. The daily cap on fares is £5.25. Beyond Manchester and the capital, other areas with integrated transport networks are Tyne & Wear and Nottingham.
