20 Birmingham bus routes exempt from the £2 bus fare cap - full list here

Millions of people across England, including in Birmingham, will continue to be able to get around for £2 for a single trip. However, not all routes in and around Birmingham are covered in the bus fare cap.

The government has announced its £2 cap on bus fares will be extended for another three months to ease the high cost of living. The government initially invested £60 million to limit the price of most single journeys outside of London to £2 from January 1 for three months. It was then extended until June and now, it will keep going until the end of October 2023.

From November 2023, the cap will increase to £2.50 until November 30, 2024. Prime Minister Rish Sunak said: “By extending the £2 fare cap, we’re making sure bus travel remains accessible and affordable for everyone while helping to ease cost of living pressures.

“Buses connect our communities and play a vital role in growing the economy; they transport people to work, take our kids to school and make sure patients can get to doctors’ appointments. That’s why we’re determined to protect local routes and encourage more people onto the bus, ensuring people can get around easily and in an affordable way.”

Passengers need to be aware that TfWM contracted services which were registered after October 2022 are not included in the cap and may cost more to ride. Fares which are below the £2 cap will not be affected.

The operator most affected is Diamond Bus where 26 services, including 20 services in and around Birmingham, are exempt from the cap.

Here are the Diamond Bus Services in and around Birmingham that are exempt from the cap:

• B1 - Bromsgrove - Redditch via HOW Coll ege
• 142 - Halesowen Bus Station - Merry Hill Bus Station via Hasbury & Stourbridge
• 142A - Halesowen Bus Station - Merry Hill Bus Station via Hasbury & Stourbridge
• 17H - Merry Hill to Halesowen
• 22 - Oldbury Interchange - Bearwood, Bus Station via Langley
• 25 - Dudley Bus Station - Merry Hill Bus Station via Netherton, MerryHill & Brockmoor
• 27 - Wolverhampton Bus Station - Dudley Bus Station via Sedgley & Gornal Wood

• 27A - Wolverhampton Bus Station - Dudley Bus Station via Sedgley & Gornal Wood
• 45 - Walsall Bradford Place - West Bromwich Bus Station via Yew Tree, Stone Cross & Charlemont Farm
• 5 - Dudley Bus Station - Kingswinford Cross via Russells Hall Hospital & Pensnett
• 5A - Dudley Bus Station - Wall Heath, Blaze Park via Russells Hall Hospital, Pensnett & Kingswinford
• A15 - Shirley Station - Pierce Avenue
• A16 - Acocks Green Station Rd - Swan Centre
• 17 - Dudley Bus Station - Kingswinford Cross via Gornal Wood, Wall Heath & Kingswinford
• 17A - Dudley Bus Station - Stourbridge Bus Station Via Stickley
• 17S - Dudley Bus Station - Stourbridge Bus Station via Stickley

• 18 - Dudley Bus Station - Merry Hill Bus Station via Netherton & Lyde Green
• 25 - Dudley Bus Station - Merry Hill Bus Station via Netherton, MerryHill & Brockmoor
• 57 - Bilston Bus Station - Wolverhampton Bus Station via Kingswinford
• 81 - Wolverhampton Bus Station - Dudley Bus Station via Hurst Hill

Passengers making multiple journeys in a day may be better off purchasing a day ticket or using a bank card to pay, which caps the fares at the operator’s daily rate. For more information, contact Diamond Buses.