Some months ago, I wrote in this column about the Conservative government planning to bring some New Year cheer by capping single bus fares at £2 a journey from January until the end of March 2023. I’m pleased to say that with 2023 almost here, this comes into effect from New Year’s Day.
Nationally, £60 million has been provided for bus operators outside of London for this initiative. This is a small part of the Government’s extensive Help for Households programme this winter, that is assisting with cost-of-living pressures.
It’s great to see that local bus operators are taking part. This can save local people money on their travel or may encourage additional bus journeys, instead of going by car. The government estimates that two million fewer car journeys will be made nationally over these three months as a result, which has to be better for the environment and to reduce congestion.
However, it’s not lost on me that ongoing train strikes by the left-wing RMT union is leading to more car journeys, more congestion, more CO2 emissions and greater demand for petrol and diesel that adds to its cost and therefore fuels inflation. I hope that in 2023, we don’t see local Labour councillors in Crawley standing on RMT picket lines at Three Bridges Station, like some did in 2022.
Many of our bus journeys within Crawley are under £2 already, which is good, but buses to Gatwick are £2.70 so this will save there, and if your journey has a return ticket option, this will be capped at £4 (2x£2). Major savings can be achieved when travelling a little further, such as to Horley or Redhill to the north, East Grinstead to the east, or Brighton to the south. For example, the 270 route between East Grinstead and Brighton is usually £7 but will now be only £2 for the next three months.
It’s important to stress that all existing free travel remains and that all weekly/monthly passes remain the same good-value price. I wish all readers a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2023.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
28th December 2022
