We will be investing almost £20 million over the next four years to support Plymouth’s bus services and help people walk and cycle more.
A £19.1 million programme has been agreed to support the work of the Plymouth Enhanced Bus Partnership (the partnership between the Council and local bus operators) and delivery of the city’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.
Funded by just over £17.165 million from the Department for Transport (through its Local Transport Consolidated Funding Settlement), supported by developer contributions of just over £1.939 million, it will respond to the nine passenger priorities identified in the plan: frequent; reliable and faster; affordable; safe; clean; simple and understandable; direct and connected; accessible and modern.
It will enable improvements including:
- increased operating hours
- better bus stop infrastructure (such as timetable cases, flags and bus stop clearways)
- better passenger information (including at local bus and train stations)
- improvements at the park and ride sites (including a formal crossing at Milehouse Park and Ride)
- measures to make bus journey times quicker and more reliable
- bus priority measures (such as bus stop/lane enforcement cameras)
- measures to support the modernisation and decarbonisation of the Plymouth bus fleet.
Alongside the bus investment a further £872,667 from the Department for Transport’s Integrated Transport Fund is being made available to continue the Plymotion programme, which provides adult cycle training, led rides, bike maintenance and led walks, as well as a schools engagement programme.
The funding will also support wider public engagement campaigns such as the Big Green Trail and help with developing the Council’s next Local Transport Plan.
Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said “We recognise how important it is to have a transport network that is safe, reliable and accessible for everyone.
“By continuing to invest in improving bus journey times, reliability, network coverage and accessibility we hope to ensure Plymouth’s buses are available for the journeys residents and visitors need.
“And by continuing programmes like Plymotion we can help ensure people are encouraged and enabled to make more trips on bus, bike or on foot. I’m really pleased to be building on the work we’ve been doing to encourage sustainable travel for another four years.”
Decisions to approve the programme and allocate the funding can be found on our decisions page.
