Stagecoach involved in 60 Bus Service Improvement Plans
Stagecoach says it has supported the development of 60 of the 84 Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) submitted by local authorities to the government as part of its National Bus Strategy for England.
The plans, which had to be submitted to the Department for Transport by 31 October, include initiatives to lower fares, speed up bus journeys, boost accessibility and connections in urban areas, city centres and rural locations, and improve customer information.
Stagecoach is urging the government to focus funding on plans that will make a practical difference to the costs and reliability of bus travel and attract people back to public transport after the damaging impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stagecoach has also called on the UK Government to ensure that smaller local authorities outside of England’s big city regions do not fall victim to a ‘postcode lottery’ of funding for their ambitious bus improvement plans.
Carla Stockton-Jones, UK managing director, Stagecoach, says: “We’re pleased to have worked very closely with our local authorities on the development of 60 Bus Service Improvement Plans, the most of any bus operator in the country.
“It’s important that the increased funding for buses promised by the government is now delivered so these bold plans can be brought to life.
“Bus networks are key to Britain’s towns and cities and supporting the country’s net zero ambitions. The quickest way to help leverage the power of buses to support this is by getting motorists out of cars and onto buses which would drive huge reductions in carbon emissions.”