Commuters in West Northamptonshire could be clobbered by equivalent 1p income tax rise due to lifting of bus fare cap says West Northamptonshire Lib Dems

Analysis by the Party shows that the average commuter across the constituency who takes the bus every working day of the week could face an extra £448 bill because of the change made by the government.

That is the equivalent of paying £5,420 in income tax a year, 9% higher than the £4,972 a median earner on £37,430 a year would pay.

Local Liberal Democrats are calling for the rise to be reversed and the £2 bus cap to remain in place to protect bus commuters in the area from suffering more financial pain after years of “economic vandalism" under the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Cllr Jonathan Harris said:

“The government’s bus tax looks set to clobber commuters and bus users across the constituency. It is the last thing people in our area need after the years of Conservative economic vandalism we have been forced to suffer.

“It is a decision that will make it more expensive for people just to get on with their everyday lives and will just add to the misery for motorists on our already congested roads.

“The new government must urgently rethink these proposals and scrap their bus tax that will only make the lives of people across our area harder. Further more, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have suggested that, to quote:

The increased bus fare cap will see rural bus users paying higher fares for dwindling services, further driving rural inequality and harming our efforts to reach net zero by 2030. Outside towns and cities, people who can’t afford a car face social isolation as well as reduced access to education and work. Money raised by the fare cap increase should be invested in our crumbling rural public transport networks

Having fought hard to protect financial support for rural buses and for service improvements, this is the last thing that our rural areas need and I am very concerned about the impact on passenger numbers and the future of some of these supported services, but I am determined to continue to fight for them. I hope that West Northants Council realises that it has a role to play here and will do what it can in partnership with bus companies to limit the impact of any potential rises. With millions of pounds of Town found and levelling up grants being spent in the town, it will entirely defeat the object of any town regeneration by making it mores costly and therefore more difficult to get into town”.