Issue - meetings

The Board was asked to consider an extension of the £2 fare cap on tram to align with Government’s extension to the £2 fare on bus.

The Director of Public Transport Operations advised Members that initial findings from an evaluation of the first two months of the fare cap scheme on tram had indicated positive signs of growth. It was felt that applying a fare cap only to bus could risk disadvantaging tram with possible implications for tram recovery which was due to revert to public ownership in March 2024.

Members were supportive of the proposal to extend the fare cap to tram to 30 June. 

RESOLVED that the Board:

1.     Approve the extension of the £2 fare cap on tram consistent with the timescales of the national bus scheme to 30 June 2023.

2.     Acknowledge the benefits to passengers in reducing their expenditure during a cost-of-living crisis and the wider attractiveness of tram as a choice of travel with reduced fares.

3.     Recognise that applying the £2 fare cap to bus only would risk distorting passenger choice and disadvantaging tram with respect to bus with possible knock on implications for tram recovery which will become an SYMCA issue from March 2024.

Request that a further evaluation of the success of the scheme on bus and tram be conducted once the scheme ends.