Local bus journeys just £2 each way

Until 31 December 2024, you'll only pay £2 for any local bus journey.

The Government are funding a cap of £2 on all adult single bus tickets to support families through cost of living pressures.

This means that you can travel on any of our Thames Travel and Oxford Bus Company services (excluding the airline) at any time of the day for just £2.

A few 'short hop' single and return fares will remain less than £2, so you will not pay any more than usual for your journey.

Please note that the majority of school day services are excluded. The £2 fare will not be available on: Thames Travel BB1, BB2, BB4, BB5 and Oxford Bus Company BB1A and city3S.

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You can buy your £2 fare ticket from the driver, via our mobile app (select the 'CityZone & CountryZone' option) or by using Freeflow tap-on tap-off. 

With Freeflow, your local journey will automatically be capped at £2, making it the simplest way to travel with the discount. Ticket capping is not affected, so you won't pay any more than normal. Find out more about Freeflow here.

Do you normally use a Concessionary bus pass on our services?

You can continue to use your bus pass at the normal times, and take advantage of our new 'Early bird' discount for Concessionary pass users within the Oxford CityZone - find out more about this offer here.

What exactly is the £2 bus fares cap?

Until 31 December 2024, the cost of an adult single bus fare will be a maximum of £2 in England outside London. This is being funded by the Government to help ease cost of living pressures. The cap will help people save money on their travel costs and will encourage more people to choose buses for local journeys and beyond.

What journeys does it cover?

The £2 adult single fare will cover all single journeys by participating bus operators on local bus services. Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel are participating, so any single journey you take on our local bus services will be included. This offer is not available on the airline.

Is there a maximum distance?

No, there isn’t a maximum distance. But the cap only covers local buses - it doesn’t cover the airline coach service.

What payment methods are included?

All payment methods are included. You can pay for your ticket in cash, using a contactless card/device, the mobile app or Freeflow - you won’t be charged more than £2.

My usual fare is below £2. Does this mean it will go up to £2?

Some 'short hop' fares cost less than £2, and will therefore remain unchanged, so you will not pay any more than usual for your journey.

Does this cap cover child fares as well as adult fares?

Yes, child fares on Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel services will be capped to a maximum of £2. This may differ on other operators.

Are the prices of other tickets, such as weekly, monthly and multi-trips affected by the cap?

No, these tickets will remain the same as they are now. Depending on how often you travel, you may find that the £2 single fare is cheaper for you. This will depend on the type of ticket you purchase - please get in touch with us if you aren't sure.

I have a concessionary ticket and get free/discounted travel. Will I have to pay £2?

As part of the offer, you won't pay more than you usually do for a journey. If you were previously paying less than £2, or if your journey was free of charge, nothing changes.

If fares are capped, do I still have to ‘tap off’ when I get off the bus as well as ‘tap on’ when using Freeflow?

Yes, you still need to tap off and tap on, in order to ensure we can calculate the correct fare. If you don't tap off when leaving the bus, you will be charged to the end of the route. During this offer, that means a maximum of £2.

What happens if I change buses - do I have to pay £2 twice?

Yes, you do. The fare cap only applies to a journey on a single bus. If you're travelling on more than two buses in a day, it will likely be cheaper to purchase a day ticket for the zone you are travelling in - check out our range of tickets here.

How long does the offer last?

This offer, which initially ran from 1 January 1 to 31 March, 2023, will continue through the end of 2024.