Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has announced nearly £1bn in funding for bus services across the UK.
Local authorities will receive £712m of the funding while bus operators will get £243m.
Haigh said the extra funding would ‘end the postcode lottery of bus services.’
‘Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether.’
Alison Edwards, director of Policy and External Relations at the Confederation of Passenger Transport, commented: ‘Buses are vital to economic growth – they carry ten million passengers a day. This funding is a valuable investment in journeys that help people to earn, learn and spend in local communities.’
Cllr Peter Thornton, County Councils Network spokesperson for Transport and Infrastructure, said: 'We are therefore pleased that the government have listened to our calls, moving away from competitive bidding process and distributing funding based on need. As a result, county and rural unitary authorities, alongside combined authorities in these areas, will receive 55% (£372m) of the new funding allocated for 2025/26. This is a significant improvement on previous rounds of BSIP funding and will help councils support local bus services in their areas.'
