Major bus routes plan to benefit thousands of passengers in local communities

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Thousands of bus passengers who rely on 'lifeline' routes to get to work, school or the doctors' will be protected from sudden cuts to services at short-notice
Thousands of bus passengers who rely on 'lifeline' routes to get to work, school or the doctors' will be protected from sudden cuts to services.
The Bus Services Bill, which last night passed a key stage in the Commons, will tighten requirements for cancelling bus routes.
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Under the legislation, local leaders will be given more power to ensure residents' needs are prioritised when planning bus routes. Councils will identify local services that are necessary to the community and will work with bus operators to put in place strict rules before these routes can be changed or cancelled.
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A ban on local authorities establishing their own bus companies will also be lifted, making it easier for them to control services and shape routes to work better for local people.
The minimum period between local areas taking control and being allowed to run services will also be reduced by cutting red tape and making the process simpler.
The Government is also investing nearly £38million to bring 319 new zero emission buses to communities across England, while nearly £1billion is being invested in England to improve bus infrastructure with new bus stops and digital timetables.
Buses remain the most used form of public transport across England. But the Department for Transport said approximately 300 million miles of bus services operating outside London were slashed from 2010 to 2024.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'We're committed to giving local leaders the power to shape the bus services their communities rely on.
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"Buses are vital to connect people to job opportunities, hospital appointments and loved ones, supporting economic growth and driving up living standards.
"Over the last fourteen years, annual bus mileage outside of London has dropped by around 300 million miles, which has prevented our towns and cities from realising their full economic potential.
"Our Bus Services Bill will build back trust in our public transport network by better protecting lifeline bus services from being scrapped at short notice, stranding whole communities.
"We're stepping in to boost buses, giving them a real opportunity to flourish under locally controlled, passenger-first operations".