Autumn Budget and PCVs

Funding welcomed, but assurances needed. Plus, coaches left out of Government aid again

Funding for buses has been announced by the Government as part of its Autumn Budget.

The Government has pledged more than £3 billion of bus investment across the Parliament, including a new dedicated commitment of £1.2 billion for bus transformation deals in England, to deliver London-style services, fares and infrastructure improvements, and a further £355 million new funding for zero-emission buses. In addition it has allocated £70 million Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas funding to deliver buses and related infrastructure in Warrington, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Kent and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Funding for the bus industry in the Autumn Budget has been welcomed by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). However, it urges that smaller cities and towns must benefit from the spend too.

The CPT also criticised the Budget as another example of the Government failing to provide support for the coach sector. It notes that other parts of the tourism sector have been aided with a business rates discount.

The Budget also provides over £8 billion of investment for local roads maintenance and upgrades over this Parliament.

  • For full comments and reactions on the budget, see next week’s issue, out 3 November online and in the post on 5 November

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