The funding from the Department of Transport’s Local Authority Bus Grant can be used to create new bus services or enhance existing routes.
Following on from previous grants from the Department for Transport to improve bus services, totalling £3.7m of revenue funding between 2023 and 2025, the new grant which has been allocated for 2025/26 comprises of:
- £2,805,076 revenue for delivering new or enhanced services.
- £5,229,805 capital for new and improved bus stops, bus stations, bus priority measures or vehicle upgrades.
This money will enable Suffolk County Council to invest up to £5 million in capital projects to increase bus priority on congested streets, make improvements to bus stops and gain a better understanding of the journeys people are taking, paving the way for more innovative fare offers in the future. The council also plans to upgrade the current Real Time Passenger Information system, giving live updates on when buses will arrive at stops across the county.
The remaining £2.8 million will be spent supporting the existing services on the county’s bus network and working with bus companies to finalise a number of route improvements and new services, set to launch later this year.
The previous funding has created and enhanced more than 15 routes across the county, through the council’s Bus Service Improvement Programme (BSIP). These included the first Sunday and evening service between Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds for more than 20 years and direct links from Haverhill and Mildenhall to the West Suffolk Hospital.
Successful bids will be contacted in the coming days with new and enhanced services coming online later this year.
