National Express bus users across the West Midlands will be able to to enjoy discounted single bus fares after the company confirmed continued involvement in the Government’s £2 single fare cap scheme until the end of 2024.

The Government initiative, which first launched in January 2023 as part of the Government’s Help for Households scheme, has been warmly received by customers across the region with over 12.5 million National Express West Midlands bus passenger journeys made using the single fare offer since the beginning of the year.

Anybody making three or more journeys a day continue to benefit from great value day tickets at £4.50, providing unlimited travel on all buses within the nBus zone and on all National Express West Midlands buses. Alex Jensen, CEO for National Express UK, Ireland and Germany said:

“Bus is by far the most popular form of public transport here in the West Midlands, so we are pleased to be working with Transport for West Midlands and the Department for Transport to extend the £2 single ticket until the end of 2024.

“More people using buses is good for the economy, good for the environment and good for wider society. Bus travel is simple, cheap and easy and there’s never been a better time to get onboard.”

Passengers using contactless can Tap and Cap and will find their fare cap is automatically applied so they never pay more than they should - as long as they tap on with the same card or device. Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, added:

“Buses are the backbone of public transport in the West Midlands, connecting communities and accounting for tens of thousands of journeys every single day.

“That’s why it’s so important we keep fares low and affordable, which is exactly what today’s confirmation by National Express West Midlands does. We already have some of the lowest and simplest bus fares in the UK, and now this £2 cap allows us to go even further.

“Ultimately we want more people to use our buses to help cut congestion and carbon emissions. That’s why we have provided £40 million to keep bus services going during this challenging time, are building miles of dedicated bus lanes to make services more reliable and attractive, and are investing in measures such as the try-before-you-buy incentive scheme announced last week.”

The £2 adult fare cap will continue to be available to all customers purchasing single tickets via the mTicket app or on-board using cash or contactless between now and the end of 2024.

The company have also announced that free WiFi will no longer be available on bus routes in the West Midlands. As part of a review all of their products and services, the company found that of 600,000 customers that travel on their bus services each day, only 1% access the on-bus WiFi while traveling.

As many customers are no longer using it, especially on shorter bus journeys, they will be removing WiFi from all vehicles by the end of 2023.