Leading bus operators confirm £3 fare cap until end of 2026

Oxfordshire’s leading group of bus operators have confirmed continued participation in the government’s £3 fare cap scheme until the end of 2026.

Oxford Bus Group, comprising Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, Carousel Buses and Pulhams Coaches, has reminded customers it has recommitted to the initiative which applies for single bus fares.

Funded by the government to help ease cost of living pressures and to encourage people to travel sustainably, the cost of an adult single bus fare is a maximum of £3 in England outside of London. Most fares on the Oxford Bus Group’s bus networks already fall below this national cap.

Luke Marion, Managing Director at Oxford Bus Group, said: “We’d like to remind our customers our participation in the government’s £3 fare cap continues across our bus networks this year.

“The scheme has helped us boost passenger numbers and reinvest in developing our network to continue to make bus travel as accessible and attractive as possible.

“For example, we will soon be welcoming 13 new electric buses to Oxfordshire’s roads as we expand our fleet of electric vehicles across the county.

“Passengers should check each operator’s website for further information on the £3 fare cap and for full details on our various passes, which offer tremendous value for money.”

Frequent bus users are advised to unlock savings via multi-journey passes and period passes. Journeys are unlimited, allowing passengers to travel as often as needed.

An adult CityZone four-week pass, for instance, costs £64 via the Oxford Bus and Thames Travel mobile app, providing travel on city and Park & Ride services, as well as Thames Travel services within the CityZone area, which covers the majority of greater Oxford to Kennington in the south, Cumnor to the west, and Wheatley to the east, through to Blackbird Leys, Kidlington and Wytham.

Those using a concessionary bus pass can continue to do so at the normal times, while Freeflow users will still need to tap on and off in order to be charged the correct fare. If passengers don’t tap off when leaving the bus, they will be charged to the end of the route at the maximum cost of £3.