With the Government delivering an additional £11.2 million to support local buses through 2025, Yorkshire residents will benefit from lower fares, improved reliability, and better bus services.
A second £11.2 million allocation of the Bus Service Improvement Plan+ (BSIP+) for 2024-25 was announced today by Roads Minister.
Following the first £103.2 million in BSIP+ and BSIP investments for Yorkshire from 2022 to early 2025, more than £114 million has now been allocated to improve bus services in the region.
Local authorities can use the new BSIP+ allocations in a number of ways to improve bus services, whether it is to introduce new services at weekends or evenings, to enhance existing ones, or to make tickets cheaper through reduced fares for the elderly or young.
In addition to protecting bus services with low passenger numbers, local authorities can also use the investment to ensure residents of Yorkshire have access to local buses for essential services.
Silviya Barrett, from Campaign for Better Transport, said:
“We’re pleased the £2 bus fare cap we campaigned for has been a success, reducing fares and boosting passenger numbers.
“The additional funds for local authorities announced today are also welcome and we hope that this is just the start of ongoing investment in bus networks across the country.”
As part of a larger £160 million investment to improve bus service across England from 2022 to 2025, Yorkshire will receive BSIP+ funding.
In May, a further £140 million was announced for the extension of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), bringing the total to £300 million to support and protect bus services across England until 2025.
As part of its efforts to help people with the cost of living pressures and save on everyday travel costs, the government has also committed £200 million to extending the bus fare cap, which will be capped at £2 outside of London until the end of October 2023 and at £2.50 until the end of November 2024.
Buses are essential for so many people in rural areas, so the £2 fare cap has reduced travel costs, with the average fare dropping 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan areas.
Since 2020, the government has invested £3.5 billion in improving bus services and maintaining low fares in England.
Despite the fact that bus operators and local transport authorities are responsible for providing adequate bus routes, the Government continues to work closely with the sector to manage the pressures on taxpayers while dealing with changing travel patterns.
Besides the £3.5 billion to support buses since 2020, the government has provided £5.7 billion to eight mayors’ combined authorities in England to support integrated, cross-modal transport networks over the next five years through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), including bus infrastructure.
A further £129 million is to be allocated to rolling out hundreds of zero-emission buses, with the first £25 million earmarked for rural communities. Over £500 million has now been invested in zero-emission buses by the government.
