Summary: We will spend an additional £220 million over the next year to transform bus service in communities across England.
- Frequent, reliable bus services are vital, not just to help people visit friends and families, get to work and access public services, but to rejuvenate many communities that can feel left behind.
- We are launching a new National Bus Strategy, backed up with £220 million in the first year alone, to transform bus services across England. We will launch new ‘superbus’ networks, expand our fleet of low emission buses and give passengers more information and better value for money.
- We will transform bus services to ensure no part of this nation is left behind and that no business is held back because of poor public transport, levelling up opportunities and renewing the ties that bind our communities together.
Background
- Good quality bus services are vital for thriving local communities. Bus passengers generate around £64 billion for the economy every year and contribute to a third of city centre spending.
Our solution
- Launching a National Bus Strategy, making sure that passengers using the bus get the best experience and best value for money. The strategy will be backed up with more than £220 million in the first year alone.
- Creating Britain’s first ever all-electric bus town, leaving cleaner air for the next generation. We will make £50 million available to develop the first all-electric bus town or city.
- Launching new low-fare, high-frequency ‘superbus’ networks, allowing passengers more choice and lower prices. We will help local authorities to partner with bus companies to create new superbus networks – in exchange for the local authority investing more in bus lanes, bus operators will run more services, at a lower cost thanks to an all-operator fare cap.
Government record
- We have supported bus services up and down the country with over £1.5 billion since 2012. We’ve provided £250 million every year since 2012 for bus services in England, £40 million of which helps to fund routes that may not be commercially viable but which are considered socially necessary, helping people to stay connected with their local services and communities.
Q: Have bus services declined since 2010 as a result of cuts?
Fewer people are making trips by any mode of transport. This is a long-term social factor that helps to explain declining levels of bus use.
