Fenland Council leader says “drastic action” needed to save popular Tiger bus pass scheme

A council leader has warned that “drastic action” is needed to save Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s (CPCA) popular Tiger bus pass scheme.

The pass, brought in during previous Mayor Dr Nik Johnson’s tenure and used on over one million journeys, allows children and young people under the age of 25 to travel for £1 per journey.

The CPCA’s board met yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss the current position regarding the temporary local bus fare cap and the Tiger pass, and the financial unviability of both continuing in their current form.

Both initiatives are scheduled to conclude at the end of the calendar year unless further action is taken by the CPCA.

A report presented to board members stated that maintaining the Tiger pass in its current form, with the removal of the national fare cap post December 2025, could increase monthly reimbursement costs to bus operators to approximately £473,000, with an annual cost of £6.2m.

The existing £2 bus fare cap will increase to £2.50 in July until December.

Fenland District Council leader, Cllr Chris Boden, put forward an emergency recommendation at the board meeting which would see bus fare cap money put towards the continuation of the existing Tiger pass until March 2026, when a new budget and proposal would be put forward.

Cllr Boden claimed that funding for the current Tiger pass scheme could run out in Autumn.

He said: “If we don’t take some quite drastic action, which involves a large amount of money being shifted around in the budget, then the Tiger pass will stop.”

Cllr Boden argued that the Tiger pass scheme must be continued in order to build up passenger numbers.

He said: “We have an opportunity here with £1.8million in the budget for the fare cap coming on December 31. If that money were utilised towards the continuation of the existing Tiger pass to March 31, 2026, that would be a very significant part of the funding needed for that.”

Cllr Boden’s recommendation received support from some board members, including Mayor Paul Bristow, but was ultimately not carried.

A comprehensive options paper will be presented to the CPCA’s transport and infrastructure committee on June 25, outlining proposals for the future of the Tiger pass scheme and the local bus fare cap before the matter is brought back to the board in July.

Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, did not support Cllr Boden’s recommendation and noted that she would rather everyone had the correct figures before making a decision.

She told the board meeting: “Good governance is really important at this authority, and having something like this tabled at the meeting with other board members not able to see any of the figures Cllr Boden has quoted, is not good governance.

“We need to be clear that we make decisions on the basis of the clear presentation of data.”

She added: “If we can come back with a decision in July, it’s highly likely that I would support this suggestion because actually I think that the Tiger pass is a priority.

“While the fare cap is a desirable thing, the Tiger pass is more important in terms of the spending that we have to do.”

Cllr Anna Bailey, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, supported Cllr Boden’s recommendation

She said: “I just think the bus fare cap is the wrong choice when the Tiger pass has been left unfunded and the new mayor’s inherited that situation.

“I don’t think it’s right to carry on funding what is an unsustainable fare cap, which was always unsustainable and never properly built into the budget.”

Mayor Paul Bristow said: “We are in danger of losing the Tiger pass if we don’t do something drastic.”

He added: “What people want is continuity and security.”

Cllr Anna Smith of Cambridge City Council, who was deputy mayor of the CPCA when the Tiger pass was introduced, suggested looking at the wider combined authority budget to find money for continuing the Tiger pass, rather than just focusing on the transport budget.

The future of the Tiger pass scheme and bus fare cap will be further discussed at a transport meeting on June 25.