Buses' £1.5m subsidies reviewed as BCP Council seeks savings
The authority said, in 2025, it received £2.66m of revenue bus grant from the Department for Transport (DfT) to support service improvements, and it expects to receive at least the same amount in 2026.It said it had been told by the DfT, if it undertook a review to ensure it was providing "value for money", it could keep the money from its own budget next year, using only government funding for the services.The review aims to pinpoint where passenger numbers have increased and whether the subsidy, or a reduced subsidy, is still needed to run them - or if there are lower cost alternatives.Sustainable travel councillor Andy Hadley said: "We want to be able to update the picture on how people use our bus services so that we help fund routes that are needed the most, whilst not covering costs, and can ensure best value for public money."The consultation runs until midnight on 18 August, and any changes will be implemented from May 2026.Any changes to school services will not take place until the following academic year.Survey forms are available online, on buses and at libraries.
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