The Tiger pass scheme, offering £1 journeys for under 25s, has
been extended to March 2026 with options to deliver a permanent
pass – a key pledge of Mayor – being worked up in the
meantime.
The decision to extend the pass to the end of March 2026 was made
by the Combined Authority Board today (22 July).
Since launching in May 2024, the scheme has seen over 45,000
passes issued and supported around 1.8 million journeys. It gives
young people a helping hand to get to education, training and
employment, as well as seeing family and friends more affordably.
The pass will continue to apply to journeys within the
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority area, and will
continue to include some cross-boundary travel as under the
current scheme.
Funding for the extension will come from a combination of the
passenger transport operational reserves, forecast underspend
from the concessionary fares budget and savings from ending the
Combined Authority-funded £2.50 fare cap, which will cease from
31 October 2025.
After 31 October, bus fares will revert to the Government's
national £3 cap, which runs to March 2027. It was
originally intended to run until 31 December.
The forecast cost of the Tiger pass extension is £2.28 million to
the end of March 2026.
has made securing a permanent
version of the Tiger pass one of his early mayoral priorities. In
the meeting, the Board also called for a wider set of options on
the permanent pass to be developed over the summer, to be
presented to workshops for the Transport Committee and Combined
Authority Board in the autumn.
Mayor said: “When I was
elected, I made a permanent reduced fare Tiger card a core
priority. We're now well on the road to delivering that. I
inherited a scheme that was going to run out of money this
autumn. Now users have certainty until April next year, while we,
as a Board, get the detail right on a Tiger pass that's a
permanent fixture of public transport in Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough.
“At a time when every pound of public money needs to deliver
maximum value, we had to make a choice on the fare cap, but I
believe the difference the Tiger pass has made can't be denied,
and is exactly the kind of scheme we should be prioritising.”
1) Read the report to the Board. https://democracy.cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/documents/s4937/Bus
Network Update.pdf
2) Amendments proposed to the Board:
On being proposed by the
Mayor, seconded by Councillor Anna Bailey, it was resolved
to:
-
Approve the revision of the local bus fare cap scheme
and give delegated authority for the Executive Director of
Place and Connectivity to ensure the Combined Authority ceases
the local bus fare cap with bus operators from 31 October
2025.
Approve the revision of the local bus fare cap scheme and give
delegated authority for the Executive Director of Place and
Connectivity to ensure the Combined Authority ceases the local
bus fare cap with bus operators from 1 September 2025.
-
Approve the proposal for the extension of the temporary
Tiger Pass scheme without the removal of cross boundary
journeys to 31 March 2026, funded by the remaining local fare
cap budget, underspend from concessionary fares and a use of
reserves if applicable.
Approve the proposal for the extension of the temporary Tiger
Pass scheme without the removal of cross boundary journeys to 31
March 2026, funded by a virement of £1.4m from the Local Fare Cap
budget, and a drawdown of c£0.3m from the Passenger Transport
Operational Reserve.
-
Note the options for a permanent Tiger pass set out in
the paper, and the content of the discussion at the meeting,
and ask that a wider set of options be developed over the
summer and be presented to workshops for Board and Transport
committee members in the autumn.
To note the three options for the permanent Tiger pass scheme
(post March 2026) for feedback and discussion to inform further
development work for proposals. Consideration will also be
given to a scheme to support cheaper bus fare options for adults
on the lowest incomes to be presented to Transport Committee in
the autumn aligned to the Medium-Term Financial Plan from 2026/27
to 2029/30.
- Approve a strategic objective for a more sustainable, long
term subsidy for a new permanent Tiger Pass.
- Approve the proposal as set out in section 2.1 of the report
for the extension of the temporary Tiger Pass scheme to 31 March
2026, with further consideration to be given to funding.
- Give delegated authority for the Executive Director of Place
and Connectivity to ensure the Combined Authority implement the
proposals from 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026.
