Major £150 million funding boost for local bus services as fare cap set to be extended

Published: 22 October 2023
By Chris Haycock

• £150 million of redirected HS2 funding confirmed for next year to improve bus services across every part of the North and Midlands
• funding is the first allocation of a £1 billion investment into bus services across the North and Midlands as part of the Network North Plan
• comes as ‘Get Around for £2’ cost-of-living support scheme will be extended from 1 November

Every part of the Midlands and North of England is set to benefit from £150 million of new funding to improve bus services over the next financial year, the Transport Secretary has announced today (23 October 2023).

This is the first tranche of £1 billion worth of new funding that the government is dedicating to bus services across the North and the Midlands as part of the Network North plan – with further funding allocations to be announced in due course.

While it is up to local authorities in partnership with operators to decide how best to use the funding, the new funding for next year is enough to support up to 25 million miles of new bus services across the North and Midlands, helping local authorities provide more regular and reliable services or cheaper fares delivered through fare initiatives and ticket price caps.

The funding has only been made possible thanks to this government making the right long-term decisions for a brighter future. The reallocation of HS2 funding as part of Network North ensures that we can deliver our new £36 billion plan to improve the daily transport connections that matter most to people, benefitting more people, in more places, more quickly.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said:

Today’s announcement marks the start of the Network North plan coming into action.

We’re backing buses with one of the biggest ever support packages and keeping bus fares down to ensure the country’s favourite means of transport is more affordable for millions of people.

The £150 million from redirected HS2 funding is dedicated to levelling up bus services, with areas across the North and Midlands given extra support for services to become more frequent, more reliable, cheaper and easier to use.

Local authorities may use the additional funding to reintroduce evening services to support the nighttime economy, increase service frequency meaning less waiting time for passengers, introduce new routes to ensure areas previously unconnected are now connected or introduce a Demand Responsive Transport service to improve connectivity in rural areas.

This funding comes on top of the government’s unprecedented investment of over £3.5 billion for the bus sector since March 2020 to support its recovery from the pandemic, drive improvements to local bus services and encourage more use of buses.

The Get Around For £2 bus fare cap scheme will also be extended again to continue to help people save money. The cap had been due to rise to £2.50 but will instead remain at £2 and continue until 31 December 2024 thanks to the redirected HS2 funding behind the new Network North plan. This takes total government investment to cap bus fares at £2 to nearly £600 million.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper said:

Buses are the most popular form of public transport, which is why we are continuing to back our buses with record high levels of funding – supporting vital bus services and offering affordable travel for passengers.

Since the £2 bus fare cap was introduced across the UK on 1 January 2023, millions of passengers have benefitted from lower fares. The Get Around for £2 scheme has helped cut bus fares in England outside London by 7.4% between June 2022 and June 2023, with savings even bigger in rural areas where fares have dropped by almost 11%.

According to initial analysis from a recent report published by the Department for Transport (DfT), the scheme has helped encourage people to get back on the bus, with almost half of respondents saying the fare cap is the main reason they are using the bus more.

Today also sees community services for older people and vulnerable passengers receive a 60% funding boost. These ‘lifesaver’ services are vital for older and vulnerable people to get to the shops, medical appointments and see loved ones.

The funding increase, made through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), will help keep fares down and has been hailed by charities and vulnerable passengers who have difficulty using regular buses and rely on community services to get around and combat loneliness.

This boost comes as part of the government’s nearly £260 million annual BSOG payments to support bus services in England outside of London. This also includes up to £213 million for commercial bus operators and, for the tenth year, £42 million for local authorities.

How to apply for BSOG as a community transport operator.

Bus service improvement plans: local transport authority indicative allocations 2024/25.

Chief Executive of the Community Transport Association, Victoria Armstrong, said:

Community transport plays a vital role in connecting people in our communities to health care appointments and social opportunities.

Janette Bell, Managing Director at First Bus said:

Alex Jensen, National Express CEO UK, Ireland and Germany said: