Lifeline for bus routes as £2 cap on local fares wins extension

Bus station in Norwich. Extension of the cap outside London will cost up to £75m, but could save threatened routes. Photograph: Alamy

The government has extended a £2 cap on local bus fares in England for another three months, amid concerns that operators would be forced to slash the number of routes on offer without the subsidy.

The fare cap, introduced initially from January to March, will continue to run from 1 April to 30 June, the Department for Transport said on Friday.