Latest news with #bus services
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cumberland Council approves expansion of local bus services
A major expansion of bus services has been approved, aimed at targeting areas where routes are currently limited or commercially Council said the move follows talks with residents and stakeholders to understand local travel by £3.5m in government funding through the Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP), the delivery of the proposed new services are subject to operators submitting a tender to run them, the local authority plans were backed by councillors at a Highways and Transport Strategic Board earlier. Labour councillor Denise Rollo said: "This is the next step in building a better future for public transport in Cumberland, one that directly reflects what our communities have told us they want."While not all services may attract tenders, given market constraints such as vehicle and driver availability, Cumberland Council is committed to securing the best possible outcomes for residents within the available funding." The proposed new or expanded services include:Carlisle to Anthorn - Addition of peak journeys and a new Sunday serviceKirkbride to Carlisle - The reinstatement of a previous service including enhanced links for Cargo, Houghton Rockcliffe and Currock Community CentreWhitehaven to Ravenglass - New serviceCarlisle to Cockermouth - Upgrade to hourly serviceCockermouth-Lillyhall-Distington - West Cumberland Hospital- New serviceCarlisle to Hadrian's Wall - New serviceCockermouth Town Buses - Return of the local town serviceBootle to Millom via Ravenglass - New serviceCockermouth to Mayport - Service enhancements that include peak journeys and a new Maryport and Dearham town serviceWhitehaven Town Loop - New north eastern loopCarlisle-Longtown-Penton - Expanded rural covergeCarlisle to Durranhill/Carleton - New route service Locke Road Surgery and GarlandsWetheral-Carlisle-Dalston - Greater frequencyFrizington to Cockermouth/Workington - Return of previous serviceThe plans also include the continuation of services introduced in November 2024, including:Silloth to MaryportMaryport-Egremont-ThornhillMaryport-Cleator Moor-FrizingtonWorkington to Carlisle Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Slough buses get £900k to improve services
More than £900,000 has been approved by a council to improve a town's bus is part of a £2.2m investment in Slough where the borough council was previously awarded £1.3m by the Department for Transport (DfT).The authority said the full investment would fund better access to the town centre and a bus interchange service to Wexham Park Hospital and Heathrow Airport.A report to the council's cabinet recommended councillors approve the capital spending, saying it would lead to "a borough for children and young people to thrive" and "a town where residents can live happier, safer and more independent lives". The funding would also be used to upgrade traffic signals, improve services at two bus stops where bus arrivals are poor and shorten journey times, the council - which investing a further £63,000 in the scheme - said. There would also be reduced ticket prices for passengers who take multiple bus services for their journey, with more evening and Sunday services Paul Kelly, cabinet member for highways and transport, told Monday's meeting: "These combined measures represent a forward-thinking and exciting programme of investment and public transport in Slough."Working with our colleagues as well as our vital key stakeholders such as Heathrow Airport, Great Western Railway (GWR) and neighbouring local authorities we hope to make a significant improvement for those who need sustainable transport in our borough."Zero-emission buses might be purchased using the capital funding, as set out in the report, but the council has not yet committed to the plans. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Franchising Middlesbrough buses would be too costly, says mayor
A regional mayor has once again refused calls to franchise bus services across his Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said he would not "break promises" to local people by raising taxes to fund changing the region's bus comments were made after Middlesbrough Council passed a motion calling for an end to bus deregulation, which gives private companies the power to determine routes, timetables and at a council meeting, Labour's David Branson, who proposed the motion, said ending deregulation would "empower" the local authority and allow it to make changes which would "drive much needed improvements to services". "People in Stainton and Thornton, on the west of the town, many of whom are elderly, have great problems getting to James Cook hospital, because there isn't a service there," he said bus services were a particular issue in south Middlesbrough, which had been described as a "transport desert".His motion was supported by Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Livingstone, who said the town's bus services were "totally unacceptable and not fit for purpose at the moment", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. In February, Hartlepool Borough Council also wrote to the Tees Valley Combined Authority urging it to franchise services and introduce specific contracts to private firms to run the time, Houchen rejected the idea and claimed it would be "gambling with taxpayers' money". Responding to Middlesbrough Council's call for franchised bus services, Houchen said a new system could see hundreds of millions handed to large companies and described it as "bureaucracy with a price tag"."I remain open to new ideas, but only those that don't involve breaking promises to local people by raising their taxes," he said."No such alternative model has yet been provided."The government recently confirmed Tees Valley would receive £1bn in transport funding but Houchen said the money could only be used for infrastructure investment, not for running services or subsidising fares. But the Middlesbrough Mayor, Labour's Chris Cooke, said ending deregulation would save money in the long run."I think the price we worry about, the subsidy costs that may have to come and the cost of the franchising, will pale in significance to the costs we will pay time and time again as [the bus companies] know they have a monopoly over the entire service," he said. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Buses' £1.5m subsidies reviewed as BCP Council seeks savings
Bus services in three towns are to be reviewed for the first time in six years as a council looks to save Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council spent £1.54m subsidising 24 bus services in the last financial year, with £834,000 coming from its own budget and the rest from said there had not been a review since the council was formed in are being urged to take part in a consultation to help shape changes, which could include re-routing, combining routes, or adjusting frequencies of services. 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 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 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 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 changes to school services will not take place until the following academic forms are available online, on buses and at libraries. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
