£600,000 investment set to help solve rural transport issues in Mid Suffolk
The money will go towards buses using more environmentally friendly fuels
A Suffolk district is set to get new rural buses thanks to a new £600,000 investment.
Mid Suffolk’s cabinet members met earlier this week to discuss the approval of two £300,000 grants meant to deliver new rural transport within the district.
Cllr Teresa Davis, who oversaw the delivery of the project, said new bus routes were vital for rural communities and could be delivered within months.
She added: “It’s about forming transport hubs so people have a place to go that they know is going to be reliable and consistent.
“This is public money, we want to spend it wisely and ensure it’s not wasted.”
Although it remained unclear how many additional passenger numbers the scheme was expected to create, Cllr Davis promised constant monitoring of both passengers and revenue.
"Rural transport is a huge issue"
The project was well received among cabinet members who unanimously decided to approve the money.
Cllr Rachel Eburne said: “We’ve heard from many of our communities that rural transport is a huge issue — it’s great to see this coming forward.”
Cllr Ollie Walters, who represents St Peter’s, added: “Stowmarket needs all the help it can get and any sort of sustainable transport that helps bring people from the villages into the town is very welcome.”
The money was initially earmarked in February 2022, through a proposal by the then-opposition group, in a bid to invest in zero-carbon electric buses.
However, due to the long lead time for their delivery, as well as financial uncertainty behind the technology, councillors decided to pause the project and pursue a different strategy in October of last year.
The new approach includes investing £600,000 into buses which use a more environmentally friendly type of fuel, such as biofuel.
Despite this, Cllr Davis said electric buses remained the council’s objective to make the service both self-sustaining and green.