A proposal to keep the £2 bus fare cap in Brighton and Hove would cost £14 million a year, councillors were told.
Green opposition leader Steve Davis called on Brighton and Hove City Council to meet bus company bosses to discuss how to keep the £2 bus fare cap – at the lowest possible cost to the public purse.
He also wanted a report to explore potential funding streams to support the subsidy including the council’s Carbon Neutral Fund and the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
But in a debate in the council chamber at Hove Town Hall, Labour rejected calls for a report and cabinet member Councillor Trevor Muten said that he had already met bus bosses.
They urged the Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey to discuss devolution with ministers, potentially giving a regional mayor the power to take buses under public control.
Councillor Davis told a meeting of the full council that when the government brought in the cap it was “a rare glimmer of hope” which put money back into people’s pockets.
He said: “The government’s decision to allow the increase in the national bus fare cap from £2 to £3 might seem like small beans to some.
“But for many Brighton and Hove residents, it represents yet another blow to already stretched household budgets.
“As a city that has historically boasted the highest bus usage per person outside of London, this 50 per cent increase will have far-reaching consequences for our community.”
The government decided to increase the cap to £3 to save about £350 million but Councillor Davis said that this was just 1.6 per cent of the £22 billion that the government said was needed to address a budget black hole.
Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Mark Earthey said that the cap provided a significant reduction in the cost of a return fare from Rottingdean and Saltdean to the centre of Brighton.
Councillor Earthey said that he did not want to see the potential £14 million cost of keeping the £2 cap coming out of the already stretched general budget, which is why he wanted a report to cabinet on alternative funding.
Councillor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport, parking and the public realm, said: “We’re working with our bus operators to explore all options and we very much do have those on low income at the forefront of our minds as we do so.”
He said that the council needed to manage its limited budget to tackle inequality and improve the lives of those in need.
Councillor Muten said: “The bus fare cap was set to end this year at the end of December, a cliff edge created by the previous government with no commitment, plan or budget to continue beyond the end of this month.”
At the council meeting last Thursday (19 December), he commended the government for ensuring that a fare cap would continue, albeit at £3 rather than £2.
Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons was disappointed by the increase. He said: “Brighton and Hove has no proper park and ride and some of the most expensive parking in the country.
“The tourist industry and businesses rely on large numbers of the public using our bus services. The bus service in Brighton is one of the most widely used outside London.
“Visitor numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels so it’s essential that bus fares are kept to as low a level as possible.”
Councillor Lyons said that the Conservatives did not want to see buses come back under public control.
They’re not going to run this at a loss when they’ve got a £50m shortfall from the i360 to recoup, thanks to their idiot predecessors.
“Councillor Lyons said that the Conservatives did not want to see buses come back under public control.”
But he is happy for council tax payers to just pay B&H buses millions? This would be on top of the millions they get for the concessiionary fares scheme.
But public control does not mean run by the council.
No London Bus is directly run by TFL They are all run under contract by private companies working to TFL contracts which specify service levels etc.
A similar arrangement has recently started in Manchester.
Although, to his credit, I agree with the councillor’s comment that a good park-and-ride system is important for Brighton. He’s been very consistent about this particular message. Implemented well, it could be an excellent way to remove regular traffic around our major workplaces, such as the Royal Sussex County Hospital and American Express, as well as reduce commute and parking costs for workers.
I believe his comments about visitor numbers remain disingenuous, since arguably more importantly, they have been on a upward trend, and it is important to note that not all visitors are the same value when you consider a day tripper will spend a fraction in local businesses compared to an overnight guest to the city. The devil is in the detail when it comes to this.
I read a comment a week or two back that mentioned that even if you removed this £14 million, Brighton & Hove Buses would still be running at a substantial profit. This is an even more prominent point when you also consider they’ve been spending substantially in upgrading the fleet. This certainly lends to the argument that this particular business should be treated with a, perhaps ironically, more conservative approach when it comes to financial support.
Yes they are spending £10m on a new fleet of electic buses
But £2.5m of that is coming via a government grant and match funds from the council.
I don’t particularly object to these grants but a bit of transparency (and thanks!) from B&H Buses is needed as they rarely seem to mention that aspect.
As to day trippers how many of them actually use the bus? The times I’ve arrived off a train I rarely see any visitors aiming for the bus stops but just make a beeline down to the sea front.
Great point when all your tourists destinations in Brighton is a short walk away from the station.
Wot will the price back to Newhaven then if you use two different buses then as its the same company then like from church road Hove to Newhaven after 11 pm then why do you the a thought ticket then
Why is the default position of the English these days always to expect somebody else to pay ? Pretty much 90% of the population are net takers from society. Over 50% get more in benefits than they pay in total taxation. It really is not sustainable. Unless somebody has the design for a magic money tree..
It is a reasonable argument in principle. Awareness and apply a token value to things can be easily demonstrated through the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge – that saw a 95% reduction in their usage.
I feel more visibility when something is heavily discounted or subsidised should be the norm.