Multi-million pound bus plan in Blackpool pressing ahead
The council hopes the improvements will encourage more use of public transport
A massive funding boost for bus services in Blackpool will help encourage more people across the Fylde coast to use public transport, it is hoped.
More than £4m of funding will be spent on improving bus services in Blackpool including major upgrading of shelters.
A decision by Blackpool Council’s executive committee to approve the plans now means work will press ahead.
The council, which owns Blackpool Transport, hopes the improvements will encourage more use of public transport which will help it meet its environmental targets.
A report outlining the plans stated that greater bus patronage in Blackpool “will contribute to improved local air quality and to climate change combating objectives.” objectives are in line with the council’s own environmental commitments.”
The cash includes £2.5m of capital funding, and almost £1.7m of revenue funding allocated to the council by the Department for Transport.
What will the funds be spent on?
The money will go towards implementing Blackpool’s Bus Service Improvement Plan for 2025/26 which sets out a number of priorities. These include:
- Bus service enhancements
- Bus lanes on Talbot Road
- A deep clean and repair programme of bus shelters
- Rolling out more Real Time Information (RTI) screens at town centre bus shelters, with a possibility of extending these to other locations as more funding becomes available
The Bus Grant Delivery Plan is supported by funding from the Department for Transport, which comes from a national pot of money totalling £955m which was handed out last December to support bus services across England.
Around £1m will be used to support services in order to ensure they are sustainable and meet the needs of people living and working in Blackpool, while £1.6m has been allocated to creating bus lanes.
These will operate westbound (Mather Street to DevonshireRoad) and eastbound (Cecil Street to Devonshire Road).
"Vital resource"
The scheme will also include a full audit of all bus shelters “to evaluate and categorise each shelter and stop, enabling an annual maintenance, replacement, deep clean and refurbishment programme”.
The bus improvement plan also ties in with the need for more efficient public transport, which is needed because more jobs are brought to the town centre including at the DWP hub on Cookson Street as well as the proposed Multiversity education campus.
The report stated: “ Local bus services are a vital resource for less able people and children/young people in Blackpool’s community. Clearly the economic impact of having to use taxis and private hire to get around town has a disproportionate impact on partially sighted, less ambulant and poorer members of society
“Bus use, especially on newer cleaner buses (Euro 6 standard) and electric buses, is more sustainable than private car use. Greater bus patronage in Blackpool will contribute to improved local air quality and to climate change combating objectives. These objectives are in line with the Council’s own environmental commitments, particularly the climate change emergency.”
Improving public transport in England is seen as crucial for several reasons, including boosting economic growth, enhancing access to opportunities, and reducing environmental impact. Better public transport can unlock economic potential, improve connectivity, and support social inclusion.