£47 million confirmed to improve bus services in Derbyshire
It comes following a public consultation
The County Council has been awarded £47 million to improve bus services over the next two and a half years.
Last year the Government published a new National Bus Strategy which set out a vision for future improvements across England and how bus services can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developing a Bus Service Improvement Plan, the authority consulted with bus operators, district and borough councils, bus passenger groups, disability groups, and other special interest organisations to find out how improvements best be made.
The funding will help pave the way for:
- more frequent buses and extended hours for vital services
- improved bus punctuality and reliability
- better value bus fares, especially for young people and those looking for work
- expansion of the ‘tap on and tap off’ system for paying for tickets
- new transport hubs with Real Time Information to help connect bus services to other bus and train services
- more demand-responsive services for rural and semi-rural areas
- a new website and app which will cover all services to make planning a journey much easier
It is expected that work will start on delivering these improvements from October 2022.
Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, says:
“To have the money finally confirmed is great news for everyone in the county.
“Bus services will become so much more attractive to more people and will mean less traffic on our roads. This will make a positive contribution to our approach to tackling climate change.
“We will build on the positive work to date and continue to work in partnership with all the bus companies on a wide range of projects to improve bus travel.”