Commuters across Greater Manchester have backed Andy Burnham's call for a £1.55 standard bus fare.
A single 20-minute bus journey from Middleton to Manchester city centre can cost £4.50, compared to the £1.55 hopper fare in London.
And many say that price difference has a real impact on their lives.
READ MORE: Greater Manchester's public transport system is holding it back, says Andy Burnham
In London, the Hopper fare allows unlimited journeys for £1.55, if it is made within one hour of touching in an Oyster or contactless card.
The capital has twice the volume of buses per head compared to Greater Manchester, and the Underground's trains have 20 times the capacity of Metrolink trams.
Manchester Evening News spoke to passengers at Shudehill Bus Interchange, Manchester Victoria Station, and Newton Heath and Moston Tram Station about the proposal.
NHS worker Molly Fitzpatrick said: "Definitely, [the £1.55 price] would make me happy.
"Bus tickets are too expensive. That would help me on a weekly basis, 100 per cent.
"I spend about £7 a day on bus tickets. So a £1.55 price would be good.”
Ellie Turnbull has recently moved back to Manchester.
She said the £1.55 fare would help her a lot because she does not drive and has to catch the bus all the time.
Ellie continued: "The £1.55 would be perfect.
"With the bus and tram prices, there’s no cheap option, really.
"Sometimes, to get a return or a day saver, I spend £4 or £5 to get to my boyfriend, who lives in Bury.
"I think absolutely that’s a good idea for Manchester, it’s something we definitely need.
"It would save me so much money every week.
"It would mean I would have more money to spend once I get to my location, and more money to spend on a night out, on things I actually want to do.”
One man, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "It's quite expensive to go in and out of Manchester on buses, compared to London.
"The public transport system needs to be more interconnected.
"I used to do Airbnbs and when you had visitors from abroad, you literally need a PhD to understand Greater Manchester buses, because of which routes are owned by which operators. Plus, it costs a lot.
"It’s about time [something changes] because it’s really bad inter-connectivity at the moment."
The £1.55 bus fare would also benefit Kieran Edwards, who lives in Blackley.
He said: "I think that’s a good move. I think it would benefit Manchester to have the one price.
"It would mean a lot to me because at the moment, I am thinking of actually spending about £16.50 [on bus tickets] because I live out in Blackley. I come to the city twice a week for my office job.
"If I go to the gym and other places, I have to get a separate bus, so we’re talking about an extra nearly-£10 alone on that.
"So the fact that we could have a £1.55 price, it would be easier, I’d be 100 per cent behind that."
Abigail Davy, who works at Gourmet Coffee Bar and Kitchen at Manchester Victoria station, also praised the £1.55 bus fare concept.
She explained: "I actually might start using the bus again. I don’t like driving, I like being able to relax and not have to focus on the road so much.
"Using buses and trams is such a hassle, but if the prices are going down, that’s really good.
"As long as some form of public transport is cheap, then excellent.
"You could be able to get around the city so much easier.
"Having to buy tickets from different bus companies, you have to pay for different tickets each time.
"If you have to get on three different buses from three different bus companies, it costs so much money, like £7 to £8.
"So if Andy Burnham caps that, then it’s much better and then more people will use buses.
"With such a big city like Manchester, and so many different kinds of public transport, having something like that is well overdue and very needed.”
Zack Nolan remained neutral about the proposed bus fare change.
He said: “It doesn’t bother me. I get weekly tickets every week.
"So it won’t affect me. I’ll be driving soon, so I won’t be getting the bus for much longer.”
Meanwhile, scaffolder Kieran Ward called for improved prices for public transport.
He explained: "I think the public services should be for the people.
"In my eyes, how it seems is, the people who control what happens with the money, they’re all well off.
"So they get to a situation where they don’t have to struggle like we have to, so they have no idea about how a person has to live like that.
"They don’t know what it’s like to get rammed into a tram with 75 people.
"I know [public transport] is a lot better now, but I just think that at peak times, they should slash the ticket prices down.
"Because in order to generate the tax for everything, in order for the people to make the money for them, they need to make it slightly more easy for people.”
The Manchester Evening News contacted Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), who did not wish to comment.
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