Our Roadmap to 2030
The rural mobility fund is part of the government’s better deal for bus users.
The deadline for expressions of interest has been extended from 30 April to 4 June.
English local authorities can bid for funding to trial on-demand bus services in rural or suburban areas.
Buses play a vital role in our transport system – getting people to work, to education and to see friends and family, the everyday journeys that make up our lives. The benefits of a reliable and innovative bus service are clear: less congestion, greater productivity and communities that are connected.
A Better Deal for Bus Users sets out a package of ambitious and innovative actions to meet the needs and demands of the travelling public. With £220 million of new funding to help start a revolution in bus services, they include:
- A National Bus Strategy for England, along with a long-term funding settlement and a review of existing bus funding.
- all new road investments receiving Government funding explicitly address bus priority measures to improve bus journey times and reliability
- refreshing the Government’s guidance to local authorities to provide up to date advice on prioritising those vehicles which can carry the most people
- over £20 million investment in bus priority measures in the West Midlands • investing up to £50 million to deliver Britain’s first all-electric bus town or city
- improving passenger information through new digital services and at bus stops
- challenging industry to deliver a campaign to attract people to buses
- incentivising multi-operator ticketing with lower fares, with all buses accepting contactless payments for passenger convenience
- trialling new “superbus” networks to deliver low fare, high frequency services including funding 4-year pilot of a lower fare network in Cornwall
- £30 million extra bus funding to be paid direct to local authorities to enable them to improve current bus services or restore lost services
- £20 million to support on-demand services in rural and suburban areas
