Lower fares led to around 1.5 million extra journeys being made on buses across Greater Manchester in the first three months since the £2 and £5 caps were introduced, according to analysis by transport bosses.
Reduced bus fares of £2 for an adult single ticket and £5 for an adult daily ticket came into force from September 4 last year - with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) today releasing the findings of a detailed report commissioned to evaluate the initial period.
The report said bus patronage - the number of passengers - increased by 10 per cent for the period September 2022 to the November and the new fares are thought to have directly contributed to an increase of at least five per cent - which equates to around 1.5m additional journeys.
TfGM said it was 'difficult to directly attribute' what proportion of the 10 per cent increase was down to the new fares and what 'is attributable' to post-Covid recovery and other factors.
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