
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