£100m shortfall in bus fund
BID FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT NETS £70M... LESS THAN HALF THE AMOUNT REQUESTED
“TOUGH decisions” on how to improve bus services in West Yorkshire will have to be made after a bid for Government support fell short by almost £100m.
The Department for Transport had urged transport authorities across the country to made a funding bid as part of a Bus Service Improvement Plan.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority had put forward a £168m plan that would involve introducing more zero emission buses, reforming the ticketing system on buses across the region, boosting bus infrastructure and supporting bus companies to make sure bus routes are improved and expanded.
However, an announcement by Government yesterday revealed that while the bid for cash had been partially successful, West Yorkshire would get £70m, not £168m.
West Yorkshire’s Mayor said the announcement shows that the Government’s ambition for bus services
“does not yet match ours.”
And the five year plan to turn around the region’s ailing bus network would now likely take much longer than if the full bid had been awarded.
The bus funding was part of a swathe of national transport funding announcements made by Government.
Another boost for West Yorkshire - £830m to fund schemes such as the delivery of mass transit and active travel - had already been announced in October, but was confirmed today.
The Combined Authority said the £830m would provide “Bus and cycle corridor improvements, new Park & Ride sites, local cycling and walking schemes, as well as the use of innovative technology including EV charging points over the next five years.
“The funding will also be used to deliver general road improvements, improve rail accessibility and connectivity, and develop options for a future mass transit system.”
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, who had made improving the bus service a major priority, said: “We want buses to be the first choice for travel in West Yorkshire, and our ambitious Bus Service Improvement Plan is a major step towards making them more affordable, convenient to use, and better for the environment.
“We took the Department for Transport’s call to ‘Bus Back Better’ to mean that they would give us the tools and funding to deliver tangible benefits to passengers and encourage more people to use the bus. However, despite the Prime Minister’s recent claim in the House of Commons that there has never been ‘such a bonanza for buses,’ the Government’s ambition does not yet match ours.
“The level of funding provided for buses means we will have to make some tough decisions and it will take us longer to deliver the benefits of a fully-inclusive bus service that our plan offers.”