Bus Services: Urban Areas

(asked on 12th March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce bus journey times in urban areas in England.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 17th March 2020

Local Authorities are responsible for the management of their local highway networks and the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services.

Notwithstanding that, as part of the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package the Government announced in September 2019, it has set aside up to £70 million for ‘Superbus’ pilots. The primary objective of this fund is “to increase bus patronage in an area through a package of measures covering bus priority”. The fund is currently open for expressions of interest.

The Government has also set out that £5 billion of funding will be provided to overhaul bus services and cycle links across the country. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be set out in the National Bus Strategy later this year.

This is all in addition to the £2.5 billion Transforming Cities Fund which will provide an opportunity for the industry to work with local authorities on tackling congestion.

Reticulating Splines