List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap (to become £3 in 2025)

[knutstransport]

List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap (to become £3 in 2025)
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/m...e-28762283

It's for 3 months from 1 Jan. In the case of some of them signing up it's only relevant in their non-PTE sections of route due to existing PTE area schemes in GM and Merseyside.

At the moment it looks like the Cheshire East routes that will be excluded are:
39 Crewe-Nantwich (Mikro)
90/91/92 Congleton Locals (Hollinshead)
191 Lymm Shopper (Direct Taxis)
391/392 Macclesfield-Stockport (Little Gem)

Saying that Little Gem do m-tickets that include a £1.50 single journey fare and a £3.70 day ticket that doesn't mention any exclusions. It might also be the case that the singles on the other routes don't exceed £2.

[knutstransport]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap
Seems WOB will be doing a £4 return but no big price changes to their day tickets. They are also saying some single fares will go up: https://www.warringtonsownbuses.co.uk/get-town-ps2

[knutstransport]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap
There's now a list of routes for each operator as well. Presumably the routes wholly in Greater Manchester and Merseyside are showing as excluded because they are covered by existing schemes

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/2-bus-fare-cap#north-west

[dounowhoiam]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap

(02/01/2023 20:14)knutstransport Wrote:  There's now a list of routes for each operator as well. Presumably the routes wholly in Greater Manchester and Merseyside are showing as excluded because they are covered by existing schemes

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/2-bus-fare-cap#north-west

It is a bit of strange one as the Arriva part tendered services are showing up as part of the scheme (such as the 19, 247 and 263) even though they are part of the GM £2 fare limit:
   

...yet Stagecoach Manchester have only done it for services that go outside of the GM border:
   

Does that indicate that the Government scheme has a greater return rate for each journey made in comparison to TfGM, but is extra workload that Arriva see's it worthwhile whereas Stagecoach doesn't?

[knutstransport]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap

(03/01/2023 18:10)dounowhoiam Wrote:  Does that indicate that the Government scheme has a greater return rate for each journey made in comparison to TfGM, but is extra workload that Arriva see's it worthwhile whereas Stagecoach doesn't?

There's all sorts of questions about how the scheme works in practice.

For example, Warrington's Own Buses now have a fixed £2 single fare for all journeys on most routes, even though they had <£2 fares below. Does that mean:
a) If someone purchases a ticket that was previously £1.70 and another person purchases one that was previously £2.30 that they get no government funding?
b) They increased single fares for the start of 2023 and can claim funding for any difference between £2 and the new fares?

[MTL0201]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap
Not sure were to put this, but as it's relevant i'll put it here.

One annoyance is, Arriva buses take up the whole destination display, with their buses advertising the £2 fare, that come cases you can't see the number until the last minute, as the bus approaches the stop, Stagecoach on the other hand, have the destination display, advertising the £2 fare, but Stagecoach buses still show the route number, i which Arriva would do the same with their destination displays

[iMarkeh]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap

(03/01/2023 18:10)dounowhoiam Wrote:  It is a bit of strange one as the Arriva part tendered services are showing up as part of the scheme (such as the 19, 247 and 263) even though they are part of the GM £2 fare limit:


...yet Stagecoach Manchester have only done it for services that go outside of the GM border:


Does that indicate that the Government scheme has a greater return rate for each journey made in comparison to TfGM, but is extra workload that Arriva see's it worthwhile whereas Stagecoach doesn't?

I think the government list is a bit of a mess. There's all sorts of missing details in there and I believe a number of additional firms are included whom the government hasn't put on the list. Firms which run 100% funded services are to be paid via another system somehow via the tendering authorities. Because these firms aren't getting direct funding though from the government to the bus operator, they aren't on the list. The list has been a mess since it was first introduced.

[knutstransport]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap

(07/01/2023 10:09)iMarkeh Wrote:  I think the government list is a bit of a mess. There's all sorts of missing details in there and I believe a number of additional firms are included whom the government hasn't put on the list. Firms which run 100% funded services are to be paid via another system somehow via the tendering authorities. Because these firms aren't getting direct funding though from the government to the bus operator, they aren't on the list. The list has been a mess since it was first introduced.

I remember when DfT offered funded community minibuses to successful bidders. They did an announcement and published a list, so journalists started contacting successful bidders for comments but DfT hadn't directly notified all the successful bidders.

[knutstransport]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap

(05/01/2023 05:39)MTL0201 Wrote:  One annoyance is, Arriva buses take up the whole destination display, with their buses advertising the £2 fare, that come cases you can't see the number until the last minute, as the bus approaches the stop

This perhaps needs to be questioned by local authorities and the traffic commissioners. If it's a legal requirement to clearly display the route number and destination in a way that's accessible to people with certain disabilities, how is it OK for those details to flash on and off? While there's visual disabilities, that require clear and large displays, there's also reading disabilities where people need more time to be able to read text.

[MTL0201]

RE: List of operators who've signed up to the £2 fare cap

(07/01/2023 11:41)knutstransport Wrote:  This perhaps needs to be questioned by local authorities and the traffic commissioners. If it's a legal requirement to clearly display the route number and destination in a way that's accessible to people with certain disabilities, how is it OK for those details to flash on and off? While there's visual disabilities, that require clear and large displays, there's also reading disabilities where people need more time to be able to read text.

I nearly got caught out on Wednesday by it, went to my local stop for the 407 [413/414 also serve the stop], Arriva hybrid approaching with the £2 fare displaying on the display, the route number showed at the last minute as the bus approached the stop & was on a 414, rather than a late running 407.

Stagecoach can clearly display route number & still advertise the £2 fare on the display on their buses, why can't Arriva do the same?