Bus services across the country will be transformed with simpler fares, thousands of new buses, improved routes and higher frequencies, the PM announced today. In a statement to Parliament, the PM announced £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London. He will set out a new vision to level up local transport connections throughout the country, making every day journeys easier, greener and more convenient.
The package of investment will boost bus services by focusing on a range of priorities, set to include:
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Higher frequency services, including evenings and weekends, to make it easier and less restrictive for people to get around at any time of day
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More ‘turn up and go’ routes where, thanks to higher frequency, people won’t have to rely on timetables to plan journeys
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New priority schemes will make routes more efficient, so that buses avoid congested routes and can speed passengers through traffic
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More affordable, simpler fares
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At least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses to make greener travel the convenient option, driving forward the UK’s progress on its net zero ambitions
Today’s new 5-year funding package builds on the Government’s determination to make buses work better for their passengers. The details of these programmes will be announced in the upcoming National Bus Strategy, to be published later this year at the Comprehensive Spending Review, and follows the allocation of £170 million last week to support more electric buses, increase rural mobility and trial new ‘Superbus’ services.
Lucy Allan said: “This is a vital boost for towns like Telford, where many residents rely on bus services to commute, to get to college and go about their daily business. The service is patchy at best in some areas and I receive frequent complaints about bus services. I will make sure Telford gets it’s fair share of extra funding to improve our local service.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
Local transport connections have a truly transformative role to play in levelling up infrastructure across the country.
Our daily journeys for work or leisure are about so much more than just getting from A to B – they are the key to accessing skilled jobs and opportunities, boosting businesses and unlocking economic growth for towns, cities and regions across this country.
That’s why improving connectivity by overhauling bus services and making cycling easier than ever is such an important step forward, to make sure every community has the foundations it needs to thrive.
Chancellor Sajid Javid said:
"We want to level up transport services in every region of the UK. As part of the plan, we are investing £5 billion in bus and cycle links.
The extra funding will improve people’s everyday journeys, making them quicker and easier."
