Government grant supports Nottingham buses

Nottingham City Council is continuing to support bus services on important routes after securing a government grant through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme.

Routes set to benefit include:

• The 49 which operates to Queens Drive Park-and-Ride and Boots Enterprise Zone – funding provides buses every 20 minutes.
• The NCT 3 route which now diverts into Silverdale and Wilford to mitigate the withdrawal of a CT4N 22 commercial service.
• The NCT 50 which has had newly-expanded hours running from Victoria Retail Park past the new housing developments on Daleside Road, Racecourse Park-and-Ride and the Island site.
• The NCT 70 to Bulwell – funding is being used to retain the current frequency.
• 1E to support children attending school in East Leake.

In addition to the bus support package, Nottingham City Council says the BSIP funding has allowed it to think more holistically about how to improve bus services, not just by building bus lanes and improving ticket options but supporting people to catch the bus in innovative ways. For instance, the Care Leavers pilot was launched last year, meaning young people leaving the care of Nottingham City Council can now benefit from free travel on local public transport to help them get started in the next stage of their lives.

Further support is available for young people through BSIP as student fares have been extended to all under-22-year-olds in Nottinghamshire, regardless of whether they are studying, to help young people in the early stages of their working lives. This offer also extends to Robin Hood multi-operator products as a new 19-21 price point has been introduced for season cards, with a pay-as-you-go version launching ‘very soon’.

“The bus support package is vital for protecting important routes and ensuring wider service coverage” – Cllr Angela Kandola, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport

Cllr Angela Kandola, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: “The bus support package is vital for protecting important routes and ensuring wider service coverage. We are using this funding to support key routes like the 49 and the 50 running regularly to help people access work, study and leisure.”