The £2 cap on bus fares in Hertfordshire will continue until the end of 2024, the government has announced.

The cap, which applies to tickets for single journeys, had been set to increase to £2.50 from the start of November. 

But Rishi Sunak, during his speech at Conservative Party Conference, revealed that the £2 cap will now be extended until the end of 2024 across all of England.

It means that passengers across Hertfordshire - in places such as St Albans, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield, Hitchin and Letchworth - will benefit from subsidised bus fares for at least another year.

The plans were confirmed in a 'Network North' document published by the Department for Transport.

The document states: "Buses are our most used and loved form of public transport, and following the success of the fare this year we will maintain the £2 fare to help bus users around the country until the end of next year."

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And, in a foreword, the prime minister wrote: "The great majority of journeys are local. So we need to improve the everyday local transport people want and use the most. Buses are the most popular form of public transport, yet we spend three times as much on trains."

The cap on bus fares was introduced in January this year to help passengers deal with the cost-of-living crisis, with the average bus ticket previously costing £2.80.

It had initially been expected to end in March 2023, but the finish date was then twice extended, to June and October.

Services across more than 130 bus operators in England are subject to the cap.

The government previously announced that extending the cap until the end of October, and then capping fares at £2.50 until November 2024, would cost £200 million.