Mayor Rotheram's £2 bus fare now available across the Liverpool City Region

NEW £2 bus fares for the Liverpool City Region has come into effect this week. Launched by Mayor Steve Rotheram, the reduced price tickets will help residents save money during the cost of living crisis.

The new single fare began on Sunday, 18 September 2022,  on all bus services now cost a maximum of £2, making it cheaper for passengers to travel across the Region.

The cost of a MyTicket, which allows young people under the age of 19 to benefit from all day unlimited travel on the Region's bus network, will also remain frozen at £2.20 until 2025.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:- "More than 400,000 journeys are taken by bus in our Region every single day yet, far too often, people tell me that they're still too expensive, too confusing and too unreliable. With the cost of living crisis placing more and more pressure on households, we're using the power of devolution to bring the price of a single bus ticket down to its lowest level in years; putting money back into the pockets of our residents. This is just a down payment on my wider ambitions for our Region's buses. I'm working to take back control of our network, so that we can reinvest any profit we make back into our public transport system; putting passengers before profit."

The new single adult fare; which is part of the Mayor's wider plans to revolutionise the public transport system; will mean that some passengers will see a saving of up to 13% versus the current cost of their journey.

Plans are also underway to simplify the Region's often confusing ticketing system under a:- 'tap and go system' that would allow for greater freedom and flexibility with passengers guaranteed to always pay the cheapest fare.

Earlier this year the Liverpool City Region took an important step towards the major reform of its buses after local leaders voted to confirm franchising as the preferred model for running the network; a landmark move that would reverse the industry's deregulation in the mid 1980's.

The new reduced and simplified fare has been agreed with bus operators in the Liverpool City Region for an initial 3 year period. It is being funded by the £12m Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP) allocation, secured by the Mayor and Combined Authority from Government earlier this year.

Further investment is now being sought to help realise ambitious plans for the Region's bus network. Improvements local people have asked for include:- additional evening and weekend services, better integration with the wider transport network and more zero emission hydrogen buses.

Aligned to the Region's Vision for Bus, this latest round of investment is a key part of Mayor Rotheram's pledge to reform the Region's transport by building a London style system that will make travelling around:- quicker, cheaper, greener and more reliable.

New report shows devastating triple blow pushes rural communities into a cost of living emergency

RURAL communities are facing a triple blow in the cost of living crisis, as higher domestic and transport energy poverty, coupled with lower wages, pushes rural areas into a cost of living emergency, according to new report. The research was conducted before the inflation increases recently announced.

The report, Rural cost of living, by Kovia Consulting for the Rural Services Network, which represents rural councils and other rural service providers, examined the key differences in cost of living between rural and urban locations. It found that rural residents working in rural economies earn much less than urban residents, yet still face significantly higher costs across key aspects of living including:- heating, transport, house prices, rent, food prices, child care costs and Council tax.

The research found that homes in rural areas tend to be less energy efficient with 60% of rural homes having an EPC of D or below. Rural households also face a greater fuel poverty gap. The reduction in fuel bills needed to take rural households out of full poverty is £501, compared to an England average of £223. With many rural properties less energy efficient and off the gas grid, the estimated energy cost is 10% higher in rural areas, increasing up to as much as 17% in Yorkshire and the Humber. And with soaring energy bills and increased price cap, these prices are set to increase further.

Yet rural households are facing dual energy vulnerability, as domestic energy costs are compounded by higher transport fuel costs, due to greater reliance on a car. The research finds that rural households face an average increase of 50% per week on transport compared to urban households, with transport costs eating into a higher proportion of disposable income. This challenge is exacerbated as rural bus routes continue to be cut, with a 27% decrease in bus services across England in the 10 years to 2022, making cars more essential.

Despite rural areas facing higher costs, wages are also lower, with the average for rural areas 6 percent lower than those working in urban areas. This increases to 12% among employees with the lowest earnings, leaving the most vulnerable families unable to cope with soaring costs.

This disparity is also seen within Regions, with the average income of employees working in rural areas consistently lower compared to those living in urban areas of the same Region. The greatest disparities are within the South West and East and the South East, with employees working in rural areas in the South West having the lowest average income in England, illustrating the need for levelling up both between Regions and within Regions.

Rural populations are also facing a housing crisis. Soaring housing and rental costs, combined with a 224% increase in demand for each available property since pre-pandemic levels, has sparked a 115% increase in rural homelessness between 2017-2020, almost double the national increase.

Rural house prices are 39% higher than in urban areas across England (excluding London), with rural villages and hamlets increasing to 55% higher. Prices have increased more recently in rural areas, rising 10% between 2020 and 2021, with some rural and coastal areas rising at 3 times the national rate, such as North Devon and Richmondshire.

Rural renters are also facing similar pricing struggles, with prices jumping by 11% since the Pandemic, compared to just 2% in urban areas. This is particularly affecting rural households on low income who now spend 47% of their earnings on rent compared to 43 percent for low-income households in urban areas. There has been a 61% drop in the availability of rental accommodation in rural areas since the Pandemic.

Graham Biggs, Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network, comments:- "The cost of living is a significant issue for all people and businesses across England, but rural areas have systematically faced higher costs and disadvantages compared to urban counterparts, which is leaving communities more vulnerable. While the recent Dovernment energy support package is welcome, rural areas are facing a triple burden of higher heating and transport costs, while also earning a lower income. As the report shows, other costs of living are also higher for rural people than their urban counterparts. The Dovernment must overcome policy silos and develop an integrated approach that recognises the multiple forms of disadvantage rural areas face. This should include levelling up the rural economy to ensure that low wage levels can be improved, as well as supporting rural houses to become more energy efficient to help get families out of fuel poverty. Many rural homes which are off the gas network are more difficult and costly to heat and insulate. Out dated infrastructure and a legacy of other factors, such as poor transport and broadband connectivity, employment opportunities and housing demand, means that many rural areas are more isolated than maps suggest and are all contributing to a higher overall cost of living. Without taking these measures into account, rural areas are at greater risk of being left yet further behind in the cost of living crisis."