Around two-thirds of people reported some degree of awareness of the £2 fare cap Around 7 in 10 survey respondents to the wave 2 panel survey carried out in February 2023 reported an awareness of the scheme (69%). This is supported by the findings from the separate Transport Focus survey carried out in March 2023 that found over half of people (59%) were aware of the £2 fare cap and a further 12% were somewhat aware. Transport Focus also found a slight increase in awareness between January and March 2023. Patronage appears to be continuing to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic and early evidence suggests the £2 fare cap may be playing a role in this recovery Analysis of Ticketer data for January and February 2023 suggests year-on-year patronage has increased by 20%. When comparing January and February 2023 to the period before the scheme was implemented (October to November 2022 to avoid the Christmas and New Year period), patronage decreased by 3%. This represents a smaller decrease in patronage than is usually seen during this period historically. While it is currently too early to determine the contribution of the £2 fare cap to any patronage change, indicative signs from previous survey data suggest it is playing a role in increasing or maintaining patronage:
almost 1 in 5 people who reported they were aware of the £2 fare cap in the Transport Focus survey (March 2023) said it had increased their use of the bus
of respondents to the wave 2 panel survey who had undertaken more journeys since the introduction of the £2 fare cap, a third said the fare cap was the only reason they had made additional journeys and almost half said it was the main reason
There has been an increase in the number and proportion of single bus journeys Preliminary analysis of data shared with DfT by operators suggests that more than 50 million single tickets were sold over January and February 2023, over 34 million (around two-thirds) of which had a previous fare of over £2 and were, therefore, subject to the £2 bus fare cap. Single tickets, including those with a previous fare both above and below £2, accounted for a higher proportion of ticket sales in January and February 2023 compared to 2022. This suggests that some usage of the £2 fare cap scheme could be accounted for by passengers switching between ticket types to save money. People making additional bus trips with the £2 bus fare cap in place are likely to be existing bus users and make a small number of additional trips Overall, 10% of respondents to the wave 2 survey reported taking more journeys by bus since the £2 fare cap was introduced. This is in line with findings from the Transport Focus March 2023 survey, which found 11% reported higher bus use. Additional analysis of the data found that of those who reported taking additional journeys, 24% reported that this was less than once per week. Of those undertaking additional journeys at least once a week, 40% reported between 1 to 2 additional bus trips per week and a similar proportion (38%) reported between 3 to 5 additional bus trips. Frequent bus users who undertake journeys by bus at least once per week are more likely than those who undertake journeys by bus less frequently or not at all, to report undertaking more journeys by bus since the £2 fare cap was introduced. The scheme is perceived as making a positive impact on the cost of living As previously reported in the first interim report, around 30% of respondents to the wave 2 panel survey said that the £2 fare cap has had a positive impact on their disposable income and income for other expenses. This is supported further by the latest Transport Focus survey, which found that 8 in 10 respondents agreed that the fare cap will help people with the cost of living. More than 4 in 10 thought it might help them save money personally. In both surveys, the scheme was perceived to have the relatively largest impact on the cost of living for people in younger age groups.