Richard has welcomed the news that Central Bedfordshire Council is to receive £3.7million of government funding for bus service improvements.
Thirty-one counties, city regions and unitary authorities, including Central Bedfordshire Council, have been chosen for investment to make their buses more frequent, more reliable, easier to understand and use, cheaper, or greener. Improvements will also include integrated ticketing and more bus lanes to speed up journeys.
The government's long-term National Bus Strategy: ‘Bus Back Better’, published last year, set out plans to deliver better and cheaper bus services for passengers. The Strategy acknowledged that while there are pockets of good bus performance outside London, far too many places still do not get the same service levels seen in the capital.
The thirty-one successful areas, including Central Bedfordshire, were chosen because of their ambition to repeat the success achieved in London – which drove up bus usage and made the bus a natural choice for everyone, not just those without cars. As the Government stated in ‘Bus Back Better’, areas not showing sufficient ambition, including for improvements to bus priority, would not be funded.
Welcoming the announcement, local MP Richard Fuller said:
This investment from the government to enhance bus services will reduce fares, support the cost of living and create new jobs.
It will make a significant contribution to the government's levelling-up mission to bring local public transport connectivity across the country significantly closer to the standards of London.
