As of January 1 bus fares in Cornwall increased after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the national fares cap would rise in the new year. It has caused some dissent among regular bus passengers but a member of Cornwall Council’s leadership has told people not to blame the local authority.

The council’s Conservative portfolio holder for the economy, Cllr Louis Gardner, has slammed the decision and said it will hit particularly hard in a rural area like Cornwall.

The price hike comes after it was announced in the October budget that the national fares cap for single journeys would rise by £1 in the new year from the previous cap of £2 for a single journey. The changes apply to all bus operators, including Go Cornwall Bus and First Bus.

Go Cornwall Bus said some buses will cost less than £3 as part of its offer to passengers. It added that the Cornwall monthly child fare will remain at £65 for the rest of the 2024/25 academic year. However, the cost of a town day ticket for children has risen from £3 to £4, and from £4 to £5.50 for adults. A town week ticket is now £16 instead of £12 for children and £22 for adults, instead of £16.

A Cornwall day ticket for children has also increased from £5 to £6 and from £7.50 to £8 for adults. A child’s Cornwall week bus ticket is now £20 rather than £24, while it has increased for adults from £30 to £32.

Cllr Gardner has spoken out about the changes. Addressing his constituents in Newquay, the Cabinet member said: “A number of you have contacted me over the last couple of days about the rise in the bus fare cap. This is NOT, I repeat NOT a Cornwall Council policy.

“We have enjoyed low bus fares for the last two years. The last government set a cap of £2 to any single bus fare and gave compensation to bus companies for fares that would otherwise be more than this as a measure to help with the cost of living. In the budget this government have CUT that subsidy by a huge amount which means the amount you pay will rise.

“I am hugely against this, especially in a place like Cornwall where improvements in public transport are so badly needed. Yet again rural places will be disproportionately affected by this policy.”

He added: “Cornwall Council this year will be increasing the amount we contribute to public transport but I’m afraid this won’t make up for the cuts from central government. By the way, elected mayors have been given extra funding to cover the subsidy cuts. Yet again Cornwall suffers while this government rewards Manchester, London, Sheffield and others.”