For Sarah Bodger, the cost of travelling to work is "crippling". The wool shop owner spends about four hours a day on two buses each way between Bedworth in Warwickshire and Leamington Spa, six days a week. The journeys cost her £58 per week, more than £3,000 a year. But from January, a newly-announced cap on most single bus fares in England will slash that bill by £500 a year, she says.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the scheme meant no-one should be "priced out" or "left behind" when it comes to affordable transport links. Sarah, who endures the long travel time because she loves running her shop – "It makes me happy" – told the BBC: "It's going to make a huge difference to me."
“Bus fare cap to £2 from January saves one commuter £500 a year, but rural and cross-border travellers miss out.”
Others across the country are also welcoming the cap. Charlie, a 24-year-old living on the outskirts of Bristol, said capping fares would make him more likely to travel into the city centre on weekends. "It's not going to completely revolutionise life for anyone, but it might be the difference between me deciding against going to do something in town on a whim... it can add up and it can make a difference," he said.
But not everyone will benefit. Holly Haines, who lives in a rural part of Hereford near the England-Wales border, said the cap would have no impact because the bus company serving her route is Welsh. Despite the current £3 bus cap in England, a single on her bus costs at least £4.20, even though the journey is "entirely in England". "Whilst I would love for other people to benefit from the £2 capped fare... I find it hard that I will not be able to benefit from it," she said.
Diane Wordsworth, in a semi-rural part of Doncaster, thinks the cap is a good idea but argues that bus services need improving first. "Even when we've lived in more built-up areas, the buses in town... stop at 9pm, so you can't get back from anywhere and, therefore, have to take a car and designate a driver, or pay for a taxi," she said. "We need a proper bus service first."
The £2 cap, announced by Burnham, is intended to make travel more affordable across England, but as the stories of Holly and Diane show, the reality may be more complicated for those on the edges of the scheme.