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Funding Boost to Improve Bus Services

Posted in General News on Monday, November 18th, 2024

The government has set aside £955 million to support bus services until 2026. Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh has confirmed £712 million worth of funding for local authorities to improve bus services, and a further £243 million for bus operators – a longstanding grant paid to keep fares lower and services more frequent than they would otherwise be. It is said that every region in England will benefit from the funding, but it will be geared towards the improvement of services in rural areas and small towns. The areas receiving some of this funding include Leicester, the Isle of Wight, Torbay, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.  

The government states that the investment will be used to enhance popular routes, protect rural services and increase bus use for shopping, socialising and commuting. It will prevent service reductions on at-risk routes and improve punctuality across England, to bring an end to the current postcode lottery of unreliable services. As part of this investment, the way funding is allocated has been reformed, meaning it will be allocated based on place need, levels of deprivation and population. This will stop areas competing for funding as in previous years, which in turn wastes resources and delays decisions.   Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether." 

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