Travelling by bus will be cheaper from today thanks to a price cap on tickets.

With the average bus ticket for a single journey costing around £2.80 - up to £5 in some rural areas - the temporary 'Get Around For £2' campaign aims to encourage passengers to make use of the public transport on their doorstep.

More than 130 bus operators outside of London, including Arriva, National Express and Stagecoach, are joining the scheme, which is being backed with £60 million of government funding to help cover ticket caps.

With the cost of living crisis set to be made worse by a further increase in energy bills this month, it is hoped the temporary offer running until March 31, will save travellers some money during the winter when other bills are at record highs.

The government fare cap scheme aims to appeal to all potential passengers - from commuters to young families - by making travel more affordable in order to encourage more people to choose the bus for local journeys.

Should that happen, as those behind the scheme hope, an estimated two million cars are expected to be taken off the roads in the coming weeks to both help reduce congestion and emissions.

Buses Minister Richard Holden said: "Brits love buses. They’re the most popular form of public transport in England, making up half of all journeys. So we’re investing £60 million to cap single bus fares at £2 to help families, students and commuters and help get people back on the bus.

"Bus fares vary across different parts of the country and between bus operators, and the cap is an important step in ensuring passengers across the country are getting a fair deal."

A decision to cap bus fares for three months forms part of the government's Help for Households campaign to lessen the impact of the rising cost of living on household incomes, which are stretched by issues like rising food prices and sky high energy bills.

Graham Vidler, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport said he hopes the scheme will make bus travel 'more attractive' this winter but says work to make public transport continually affordable won't stop there.

He explained: "Travelling for £2 on the bus both helps customers facing rising cost challenges and enables them to try a new travel option to get to work, education, public services, leisure or see loved ones.

"The government will continue to work closely with bus operators and local authorities and consider future support to help passengers continue accessing reliable and affordable bus services after March."