- The Government have invested a further £80 million to protect essential bus services and allow local authorities to make travel improvements in their communities.
- The funding will support 64 local authorities including Central Bedfordshire Council with £350,457 of funding, building on the £80 million of Bus Services Improvement Plan+ (BSIP+) funding for 2022-23 and the £1 billion investment for bus services in 2022.
- The Government have invested £3.5 billion in bus services since 2020, protecting and improving bus travel and helping people save money on public transport.
Andrew Selous MP welcomes government investment of £350,457 in bus services across Central Bedfordshire Council, supporting passengers across South West Bedfordshire.
Yesterday’s funding means people across the Central Bedfordshire Council area have benefitted from a total of £4,425,633 funding from the Government to support bus services since 2022.
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.
Commenting, Andrew Selous MP said:
“Many people rely on bus services across South West Bedfordshire to get to work or to see family and friends.
“That is why the Government have invested £3.5 billion in bus services since 2020, including an extra £350,457 for services across the Central Bedfordshire Council area.
“This funding will protect essential services and enhance transport connections, supporting people to get where they need to go with public transport they can rely on.”