Areas set to benefit from close to £1 billion investment in bus services have been revealed.
The government hopes to make bus travel more convenient and cheaper across the country, letting more regions benefit from a service similar to that in the capital, where you rarely go long without seeing a familiar double decker.
Unveiling more detail today, they said South Yorkshire would get £17 million; Liverpool City Region would get nearly £21 million; Lancashire would get £27 million; Kent would get £23 million; Essex would get £17 million; and Norfolk £15 million.
Areas receiving an ‘unprecedented’ amount of funding include Peterborough, the Isle of Wright, Torbay, Cambridgeshire, Leicester and Torbay.
Bus services are currently a ‘postcode lottery’, with many locations underserved particularly in rural areas, and the funding system inconsistent.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh confirmed £712 million in funding for local authorities to improve services today, alongside a further £243 million for bus operators.
A reformed allocation model has been based on need – for example an area’s levels of deprivation and population – instead of making areas compete for funding as in previous years.
Ms 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.
‘That’s why we’re reforming funding to deliver better buses across the country and end the postcode lottery of bus services.’
Alongside this big Budget commitment, the Government will also set aside £150 million to cap fares at a maximum of £3 and an inflationary limit will also be set to ensure other fares are not automatically increased to £3. The cap will run until the end of 2025.
However, the news has not been universally welcomed because single bus fares in England have been capped at £2 outside London, where they are £1.75 per journey, for most routes since January 2023, so some fares may now increase.
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Alison Edwards, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport said: ‘It is encouraging to see that the funding will be shared across every English region. Bus operators look forward to working with local authorities on plans to speed up services, improve coordination and enhance frequencies.
‘Bus passengers deserve a fair funding deal. Every pound of public money invested in buses delivers a return of more than £4 in benefits to the environment, to public health and to communities.’
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