A Peterborough political activist – who worked for the former MP Paul Bristow during the last election – has switched to St Neots and Mid Cambs Conservatives to launch a petition to try and retain a £2 cap on bus fares. The single bus fare cap will be raised to £3 from the beginning of next year and will be run until the end of 2025.
There were fears the existing cap was to be ended but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he appreciated the importance of keeping fares as low as possible “particularly in rural communities where there is heavy reliance on buses”.
Sophie Corcoran is behind the petition to try and keep the £2 cap and took her campaign to today’s meeting of the transport and infrastructure committee of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Ms Corcoran has already begun a petition on the St Neots and Mid Cambs Conservatives website which claims raising the £2 cap “could cost regular bus users up to £520 more per year.
“This increase will hit those who rely most on public transport, making daily life harder for people already facing financial strain and impacting local businesses, jobs, and the environment,” she says.
“Please join us in signing this petition to urge the Mayor to act in favour of the community by ensuring affordable public transport for all.”
She is also sharing the petition to her 200,000 followers on the social media site X but anyone signing it will be asked give details of their political allegiances.
“In order to make this survey representative of all views, as things stand today, what are the chances of you voting for each of these parties?,” says the petition.
Participants are told: “To ensure the integrity and accuracy of this petition, we ask for your basic contact information. This allows us to verify that responses are genuine and prevents duplicate submissions or interference from automated bots.
“Your information will only be used for verification purposes and will remain confidential in line with our data protection.”
“I agree to the Conservative Party using the information I provide to send messages about local issues, campaigns and opportunities to get involved. There will be an easy way to opt out of future messages with each one.”
Ms Corcoran also asked a question at today’s meeting inviting support for her campaign.
Committee chair Cllr Anna Smith told her that it would be the Combined Authority board and not the mayor Dr Nik Johnson that would make any decision on subsidizing the fare.
Cllr Smith explained that the Combined Authority was “resolute” in advancing meaningful improvements to the bus network.
She said the Combined Authority was initiating new and expanding bus routes.
And she explained that the Tiger Pass, which gives under 25s access to buses for £1 a trip, had already attracted 30,000 people from across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
She said it was “a critical step to affordable transport.”
Cllr Smith also explained that the elderly and disabled were now able to take advantage of a fresh subsidy that allows concessionary travel at any time and not off peak as previously.
She encouraged Ms Corcoran to take part in a current consultation on bus franchising: Details can be found here:
https://cpca-yourvoice.co.uk/bus-franchising-consultation/
