Boris Johnson launches £3bn ‘greener bus revolution’ to improve services

Government hopes public transport developments will persuade Britons to give up their cars

Ministers have announced new plans to make England’s buses more frequent, cheaper, greener and easier to use as part of the government’s ongoing “levelling up” agenda.

The strategy, which is backed by £3bn of investment, is intended to encourage existing and prospective passengers to choose buses over cars with the promise of better coordinated services across the country.

Turn-up-and-go services will be introduced on main routes, while operators and local councils will be asked to enter into statutory “enhanced partnerships”, or franchising agreements, before they can receive the new funding – putting an end to the commercialised bus market that has operated outside London since 1986.

Hundreds of miles of new bus lanes will also be created in a bid to make journeys quicker, more reliable and climate-conscious.

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Ministers are hoping that if journeys are smoother, people will be encouraged to swap their cars for public transport, “reducing pollution and operational costs” dramatically.

Boris Johnson’s 10-point climate plan, announced last November, set out targets for the UK’s transition to greener and more sustainable transport, which included a proposal to deliver 4,000 new British-built electric or hydrogen buses to provide clean, quiet, zero-emission travel.

The plan, which was widely rubbished by environmental groups as being too lenient, also pledged to see the end of new diesel bus sales altogether – a plan into which the government said on Monday it had launched a consultation.

The main changes to current bus services will include:

• simpler bus fares with daily price caps, so people can use the bus as many times a day as they need without facing mounting costs;
• more services in the evenings and at the weekends;
• integrated services and ticketing across all transport modes, so people can easily move from bus to train; and
• all buses to accept contactless payments

In a statement, Mr Johnson said: “Buses are lifelines and liberators, connecting people to jobs they couldn't otherwise take, driving pensioners and young people to see their friends, sustaining town centres and protecting the environment.

“As we build back from the pandemic, better buses will be one of our first acts of levelling up.”

He added: “Just as they did in London, our reforms will make buses the transport of choice, reducing the number of car journeys and improving quality of life for millions.”

The prime minister has been faced with many public transport setbacks due to the economic impact of coronavirus – including a spat last year with London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, over the government’s proposed scrapping of free travel cards for under-18s and over-60s on all London buses and the Tube.

Mr Khan, having accused Mr Johnson of perpetuating austerity, managed to dissuade the government from going ahead, securing a bailout deal which meant services could keep running though 2021.

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Due to the lack of people using buses and other services in lockdown, though, the government has been forced to provide millions in emergency support to operators. The new bus strategy states, as of this summer, that only services receiving such aid will be eligible for continued support or any funding under the new £3bn investment.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said buses were “this country’s favourite way of getting around” but that services were “frankly not good enough”.

“The quality of bus service you receive shouldn’t be dependent on where you live. Everyone deserves to have access to cheap, reliable and quick bus journeys,” he said.

“The strategy we’re unveiling today will completely overhaul services, ensuring we build back better from the pandemic. Key to it is the new deal it offers to councils – we will provide unprecedented funding, but we need councils to work closely with operators, and the government, to develop the services of the future.”

It also sets out ambitions to require “next stop” announcements onboard all bus services in England, to allow disabled passengers greater confidence when travelling, and a planned consultation on new regulations for wheelchair users.

Darren Rodwell, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesperon, said: "Councils want to work with government to make sure every community is able to access a local bus service.

"We would urge government to also plug the £700m annual funding gap councils faced before the pandemic in providing the concessionary fares scheme, which would help to protect local routes and reverse the decline in bus services."