The Liberal Democrats have called on the new Prime Minister to take action and slash fuel prices for drivers, in addition to cutting rail fares, to battle high costs.
Labour announced this morning that it would be reintroducing the £2 cap on single bus fares, the second significant change Andy Burnham has made since becoming Prime Minister.
From January next year, single bus fares outside of London will be slashed by up to a third and will be backed by £400 in extra funding.
When the bus fare cap was last set at £2, an estimated 30 million more journeys were taken by bus in the space of just 10 months.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said nobody should be priced out of travel, adding that he had pledged to build a country for “everyone, everywhere”.
This was echoed by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who noted that it would make everyday journeys “easier and cheaper”.
Responding to the announcement, Bobby Dean, transport spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said it was the right decision to amend the current £3 cap.
The MP for Carshalton and Wallington said it was a “relief” that the £2 cap was being reintroduced, especially as the Lib Dems had been campaigning for such a move.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been urged to cut fuel duty to help drivers
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PA
Despite this, he claimed that the Government was “still leaving millions behind”, adding that the Prime Minister needed to deliver for the whole country.
Mr Dean added: “Bus routes are the backbone of economic activity in communities across our country, and he must not forget about rural communities with few or no bus services at all.
“Burnham should now look at our emergency measures to ease costs that have soared due to Trump’s illegal war in Iran – capping national bus fares at £1, slashing rail prices by 10 per cent, and cutting fuel duty by 10p per litre.”
Experts have warned that petrol and diesel drivers will continue to see fuel prices rise in the near future as a result of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat for Carshalton and Wallington, called for the Government to cut fuel duty by 10p
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PARLIAMENT.TVDrivers are currently shelling out 153.46p per litre for petrol and 168.55p for diesel, although the RAC states that this could rise to 155p and 174p, respectively.
Oil prices have soared over the last week as drivers continue to bear the brunt of expensive fuel prices, with data showing Brent crude oil at around $94 (£70).
A 10p fuel duty cut, as proposed by the Lib Dems, would have an enormous impact on motorists by bringing prices down to levels last seen in mid-March, just two weeks into the Iran war.
Fuel duty will rise again in January by 3p per litre after Sir Keir Starmer announced measures to protect motorists from near-record prices seen in April and May.
Nationwide petrol and diesel prices recently reached the highest prices since the summer of 2022 | PA
Most expensive petrol prices
Asda Bothwell Express Petrol, Bothwell, South Lanarkshire (G71 8BG) – 185.9p
Thurlow Nunn Service Station, Holt, Norfolk (NR25 6EU) – 185.9p
Asda Strensham Express Petrol, Strensham, Worcestershire (WR8 0BZ) – 184.9p
Asda Tamworth Express Petrol, Tamworth, Staffordshire (B77 5PS) – 183.9p
Asda Cherwell Valley Express Petrol, Bicester, Oxfordshire (OX27 7RD) – 182.9p
Most expensive diesel prices
Asda Cherwell Valley Express Petrol, Bicester, Oxfordshire (OX27 7RD) – 200.9p
Asda Strensham Express Petrol, Strensham, Worcestershire (WR8 0BZ) – 199.9p
Asda Hamilton Express Petrol, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire (ML3 6JW) – 199.9p
Welcome Break Telford, Telford, Shropshire (TF11 8TG) – 199.9p
Shell Taunton Deane South, Taunton, Somerset (TA3 7PF) – 199.9p