Cornwall is to become a pilot area for public transport improvements starting this weekend.

From this Sunday (April 10) most bus fares in the Duchy will be slashed, with 'short hop fares' down by 20%, longer journeys costing up to 40% less and some bus passes cut by almost half.

Passes for unlimited bus travel across Cornwall will be reduced to £5 per day (down from £9 now) or £20 per week.

Town zones will be priced at only £2.50 per day, or £10 for a week – meaning that for commuters travelling five days a week it works out at £2 a day or £1 per journey.

The full range of tickets will be available on all operators' services, and in the summer contactless tap-on and tap-off payments will be introduced.

It is after Cornwall was chosen as a pilot area to see whether improvements to bus services would increase the uptake of people using public transport.

The scheme is being funded with £23.5 million from the government. Cornwall Council revealed back in January that it had submitted a Bus Service Improvement Plan to the government in response to the National Bus Strategy, bidding for £77million in funding over the next three years to make public transport in Cornwall easier to use, more reliable, affordable and greener.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Buses are the most popular way of getting around in this country – but for too long people outside of London have had a raw deal.

“The investment we’re making today to ramp up the bus revolution will drive down fares at a time when people’s finances are tight and help connect communities across England.”

Also in January, changes were announced on how bus tickets can be used in Cornwall, in what was described as "a game-changing development for customers."

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Bus companies in the Duchy have come together and will now accept each other’s tickets, meaning people will now be able to jump on and off any bus, no matter who it’s operated by.

Previously, passengers with a return or a multi-journey ticket would be restricted to only using buses run by the company they bought it from.

However, they can now use that same ticket on any bus operator within Cornwall. Passengers will be able to use their bus ticket on Cornwall by Kernow, Go Cornwall Bus, Stagecoach, Hopleys, OTS and Travel Cornwall.

In addition, all young people under the age of 19 will now benefit from half price fares, seeing local town zone fares drop to just £1.50 a day.

It is hoped the 'Any ticket, any bus' initiative, which is led by the Transport for Cornwall partnership, will open up the bus network for residents across the region, offering greater convenience and cheaper travel.