Last round of bus support for England announced

Over £150m of additional Government support is to be shared by bus and light rail operators.

This represents the final tranche of pandemic-related support to operators and will run for six months until October 2022. It builds on around £2bn of support already given to the industry during the pandemic.

The money is aimed at supporting operators and authorities as they adapt to changing travel patterns, as well as helping the continued delivery of Enhanced Partnerships, with local authorities working closely with bus companies to draw on their operating knowledge and marketing skills. Additionally, it will support local authorities and operators across England as they continue working on Bus Service Improvement Plans and delivering substantive improvements to local services.

More details on the allocation of this funding is to be provided in due course.

“…this funding will also help authorities and operators work together to provide even better services for people right across the country” – Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “The funding I’ve announced today will ensure millions of us can continue to use vital public transport services, and brings the total we’ve provided to the sector to keep services running throughout the pandemic to over £2 billion.

“Not only that, as we look ahead and continue our work to overhaul services and build back better from the pandemic, this funding will also help authorities and operators work together to provide even better services for people right across the country.”

“This latest funding builds on that support and will help keep services running as we emerge from Covid and ensure networks meet passenger demand” – Baroness Vere, Roads minister

Roads minister, Baroness Vere, said: “Millions of people rely on buses and trams to get them to work, school and the shops, which is why we have already provided billions of pounds of support for the sector throughout the pandemic.

“This latest funding builds on that support and will help keep services running as we emerge from Covid and ensure networks meet passenger demand.”

“This welcome funding will help operators have the certainty they need to run an extensive network of services over the coming months as we all adjust to life after the pandemic” – Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)

Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), said: “This welcome funding will help operators have the certainty they need to run an extensive network of services over the coming months as we all adjust to life after the pandemic.

“In the longer term the bus network will need to adapt to meet passengers’ new travel patterns. Over the coming months operators will be working closely with local authorities to plan future bus networks and introduce plans to grow passenger numbers. To aid these local efforts we look forward to working with the Government to loudly promote bus travel.”

“We now want to see a government-led campaign to boost people’s confidence to leave their cars at home and get back on board public transport so that buses can start to fund themselves once again” – Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “We are grateful the Government heeded our calls to continue supporting bus services until passenger numbers can begin to recover. This is good news for buses and the communities which rely on them and should help prevent the large-scale cuts to services we feared. We now want to see a government-led campaign to boost people’s confidence to leave their cars at home and get back on board public transport so that buses can start to fund themselves once again.”

“In time, there are excellent prospects for bus usage to grow across Britain” – Go-Ahead Group’s Chief Executive, Christian Schreyer

The Go-Ahead Group’s Chief Executive, Christian Schreyer, said: “We welcome this funding for local buses, which will allow the industry time to build back passenger numbers. We’ve bounced back well from the Omicron variant, and our buses are carrying about 80% of the number of passengers they had before the pandemic. But working habits have changed, and it will take a little longer for a ‘new normal’ to settle in.

“In time, there are excellent prospects for bus usage to grow across Britain. Funding under the National Bus Strategy for bus lanes and priority schemes will speed up services in towns and cities, making them more attractive to passengers and allowing us to increase frequencies. If Britain is to move towards a net zero future, it is vital that people leave their cars at home and switch to public transport. This short-term finance will go some way towards bridging the gap and will help us build a broader network of successful bus services.”

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