John welcomes the news that the Government has given Oxfordshire County Council a further £963,741 to improve local bus services.
This funding means people across the County have benefitted from a total of £14,632,403 funding from the Government to support bus services since 2022.
Commenting John said: “I know that many people want to see much better bus services across the County, especially in rural areas. I hope that this funding will be wisely used enable more and more people to travel by bus.”
The investment comes from the £80 million Bus Services Improvement Plan 2024-25 fund, of which there have been three rounds – building on the £80 million invested in 2023-24 and £1 billion invested in 2022.
It comes on top of a further £140 million announced in May from the extension of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), taking the total to continue supporting and protecting bus services across England to £300 million into 2025.
To help people with the cost of living and save on everyday travel costs, the Government have also invested £200 million to extend the bus fare cap, with single bus tickets capped at £2 outside London until the end of October 2023 and then at £2.50 until 30 November 2024.
The £2 fare cap has cut travel costs, particularly in rural areas, where buses are crucial for so many people to get around, with the average fare dropping by 10.8 per cent in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England.
The measures take total Government support to protect and improve bus services while keeping fares low to £3.5 billion since 2020.
Roads Minister Richard Holden MP said: “Buses are the most popular form of public transport and millions of people across the country from the Tees Valley to Torbay rely on their local service to get to work, attend medical appointments and see loved ones. We are providing a further £80 million to help local authorities improve and protect essential services, delivering for local communities across the country by enhancing transport connections, supporting passengers and growing the economy.”
Notes to Editors
The Government are investing a further £80 million through the Bus Service Improvement Plan, helping to improve bus services. The third round of the Bus Service Improvement Plan invests £80 million to 64 local authorities for 2024-25. This funding builds on the £80 million through the fund for 2023-24 and £1 billion for 2022 (DfT, News Story, 28 September 2023, link).
The Government have invested £3.5 billion in protecting and improving local bus services since 2020, increasing reliability for passengers. Today’s Bus Service Improvement Plan investment is part of a £3.5 billion investment in bus services since 2020, keeping fares low and helping increase the reliability of bus services across the country (DfT, News Story, 28 September 2023, link).
The Government have invested £200 million to extend the £2 bus fare cap, helping passengers with the cost of living. The £2 fare cap has cut travel costs, particularly in rural areas. The cap has been backed by £200 million to extend until the end of October and then at £2.50 until November 2024, helping passengers with the cost of living (DfT, News Story, 28 September 2023, link).
