Warrington patronage rises 10%

Warrington’s bus network had a patronage rise of more than 10% in 2023.

The local council released the figure as part of a report to the government showing what achievements have been made since the first Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) was awarded to the region in 2021. Its efforts have included the setting up of an Enhanced Partnership with all local bus operators, working together on cheaper fares, increased punctuality, frequency and reliability and high quality, accessible vehicles. The partnership has helped drive forward a range of improvements, under the banner of ‘Better by Bus’, including £1 capped fares for everyone aged under 22 and £2 adult capped fares; free concessionary pass travel at any time of the day; and enhanced timetables and new routes across the network.

Warrington has received just over £17m in BSIP funding from the government since 2022, as part of national plans to reduce bus fares, increase passenger numbers and improve service quality.

Warrington has also set out its ambitions, in the report, to build on this success. It aims to use BSIP funding to deliver a number of further improvements through to 2025 and beyond, including:

• Delivering new bus priority measures, including a major scheme on the A49 Winwick road corridor.
• Continued low fares
• Multi-operator ticketing
• Real time passenger information at stops and on devices

Warrington Borough Council leader and cabinet member for transport, Cllr Hans Mundry, said: “It’s an exciting time for bus services in Warrington. We are making fantastic progress with our BSIP programme which, by 2025, will have seen us investing more than £70m by 2025 in improving all aspects of our bus services with a new all electric bus depot and fleet for Warrington’s Own Buses.

“We are fully committed to driving up the number of people who choose the bus for their journeys, by creating a more reliable, sustainable and attractive bus service for Warrington. This, combined with the arrival of our all-electric fleet in the coming months, will enable us to deliver a bus service fit for the future.

“Our new BSIP report sets out our next stage of improvement plans and what we want to achieve. I’m looking forward to us continuing to work closely with our operators to make Warrington’s bus network the best it can possibly be.”

• Warrington’s BSIP report can be viewed here.