Major £150 million funding boost for local bus services as fare cap set to be extended

EVERY part of the Midlands and North of England is set to benefit from:- £150 million of new funding to improve bus services over the next financial year, the Transport Secretary has announced.

This is the 1st tranche of £1 billion worth of new funding that the Government is dedicating to bus services across the North and the Midlands as part of the Network North Plan; with further funding allocations to be announced in due course.

While it is up to local authorities in partnership with operators to decide how best to use the funding, the new funding for next year is enough to support up to 25 million miles of new bus services across the North and Midlands, helping local authorities provide more regular and reliable services or cheaper fares delivered through fare initiatives and ticket price caps.

The funding has only been made possible thanks to this Government making the right long term decisions for a brighter future. The reallocation of HS2 funding as part of Network North ensures that we can deliver our new:- £36 billion plan to improve the daily transport connections that matter most to people, benefitting more people, in more places, more quickly.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said:- "Today's announcement marks the start of the Network North plan coming into action. We're backing buses with 1 of the biggest ever support packages and keeping bus fares down to ensure the country's favourite means of transport is more affordable for millions of people. This Government is taking the right long term decisions to deliver on our vision for a fairer and improved transport system by investing billions back into to the transport projects that matter most to people and their communities."

The £150 million from redirected HS2 funding is dedicated to levelling up bus services, with areas across the North and Midlands given extra support for services to become more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.

Local authorities may use the additional funding to reintroduce evening services to support the night time economy, increase service frequency meaning less waiting time for passengers, introduce new routes to ensure areas previously unconnected are now connected or introduce a Demand Responsive Transport service to improve connectivity in rural areas.

This funding comes on top of the Government's unprecedented investment of over £3.5 billion for the bus sector since March 2020 to support its recovery from the Pandemic, drive improvements to local bus services and encourage more use of buses.

The "Get Around For:- £2" bus fare cap scheme will also be extended again to continue to help people save money. The cap had been due to rise to:- £2.50 but will instead remain at:- £2 and continue until 31 December 2024 thanks to the redirected HS2 funding behind the new Network North plan. This takes total Government investment to cap bus fares at:- £2 to nearly:- £600 million.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper said:- "Buses are the most popular form of public transport, which is why we are continuing to back our buses with record high levels of funding; supporting vital bus services and offering affordable travel for passengers. This increase in funding to deliver more reliable, frequent and affordable local bus services; and to extend the £2 bus fare cap; has only been possible with the redirected HS2 funding secured by this Government making the right long term decisions for a brighter future."

Since the £2 bus fare cap was introduced across the UK on 1 January 2023, millions of passengers have benefitted from lower fares. The Get Around for £2 scheme has helped cut bus fares in England outside London by 7.4% between June 2022 and June 2023, with savings even bigger in rural areas where fares have dropped by almost 11%.

According to initial analysis from a recent report published by the Department for Transport, the scheme has helped encourage people to get back on the bus, with almost half of respondents saying the fare cap is the main reason they are using the bus more.

Today also sees community services for older people and vulnerable passengers receive a 60% funding boost. These:-"lifesaver" services are vital for older and vulnerable people to get to the shops, medical appointments and see loved ones.

The funding increase, made through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), will help keep fares down and has been hailed by charities and vulnerable passengers who have difficulty using regular buses and rely on community services to get around and combat loneliness.

This boost comes as part of the Government's nearly:- £260 million annual BSOG payments to support bus services in England outside of London. This also include:- up to:- £213 million for commercial bus operators and, for the tenth year:- £42 million for Local Authorities.

Chief Executive of the Community Transport Association, Victoria Armstrong, said:- "Community Transport plays a vital role in connecting people in our communities to health care appointments and social opportunities. We welcome DfT's announcement increasing the funding for Community Transport organisations and are pleased that the DfT has listened to the needs of the Community Transport sector and responded by increasing this essential funding."

Janette Bell, Managing Director at First Bus said:- "At First Bus, we're on a mission to get more people using the bus. Today's news will help more people get on board with bus travel, bringing benefits to society, local economies and the planet."

Alex Jensen, National Express CEO UK, Ireland and Germany said:- "Bus is by far the most popular form of public transport in the West Midlands so it is great to see this investment which will benefit bus users. More people using buses is good for the economy, environment and wider society. Bus travel is simple, cheap and easy and there's never been a better time to get onboard."

New images reveal scale of work as part of £11m Queensway tunnel upgrade

NIGHT time closures began in June as part of a major investment to improve electrical equipment, including:- replacing the current lighting with an energy efficient LED system.

The latest images were taken during last weekend's full closure of the tunnel which saw new cable ducts installed across the carriageway and metal carriageway access covers replaced.

Enhanced maintenance work was also carried out, including:- cleaning roadside grids, jet washing curbs and testing all fire hydrants, emergency doors and systems.

The £11m upgrade began in June and is part of Mayor Steve Rotheram's plans to decarbonise the City Region's public transport network, contributing to the Region's target to be net zero by 2040; at least a decade before national Government.

Existing lighting throughout the 2 mile tunnel is being replaced by an energy efficient LED system, with a lifespan of 16 years. The new lighting will result in 60% reduction in carbon footprint of 220 tonnes of carbon each year, as well as savings on electricity costs when the works are complete in around 14 months' time.

While the new system will reduce the amount of energy used, it will not compromise light quality.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Transport Portfolio Holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:- "The £11m investment in upgrading the lighting at the Queensway Tunnel is a major part of Mayor Steve Rotheram's pledge to target net zero for our City Region by 2040. The Mersey Tunnels are an essential part of our City Region transport network and with increasing energy prices, they are becoming more expensive to maintain. We receive no central Government support, so it is up to the Combined Authority to source the funds to keep them running safely and efficiently. These works will help us achieve that in the long term. We'd like to thank tunnel users for their patience during this time."

The lighting upgrade project, supported by the Liverpool City Region's Levelling Up funding, will bring the Queensway Tunnel in line with its counterpart in Wallasey, the Kingsway tunnel, which became more energy efficient thanks to completion of a similar upgrade in June 2018. The Kingsway Tunnel remains open during this time.

This is part of an ongoing investment and modernisation programme to future proof the tunnels as a key part of the City Region transport network and a vital a cross river travel option.

Queensway Tunnel is being closed each night between:- 21.00 and 06.30, while the upgrade work takes place.