On 15 March 2021 the Government published the National Bus Strategy for England ‘Bus Back Better’. The strategy is intended to deliver cheaper, more frequent and more reliable bus services for passengers.
The strategy requires the establishment of a formal partnership arrangement for buses across all local authority areas outside London. This must be led by the Council, as the Local Transport Authority (LTA).
Your Bus Journey survey
We are carrying out a survey to find out how satisfied people are with Plymouth's bus service.
The survey will be run by Transport Focus who will be at various locations across the city from 17 February 2025 until the end of the year.
If you are a bus user you may be asked if you would like to take part in the survey, either at a bus stop or on the bus. Survey staff will be wearing a hi-vis jacket and ID badge.
The information you provide will help the Plymouth Bus Partnership to stay updated with what passengers want from Plymouth’s bus network.
Find out more about the survey on the Transport Focus website.
If you have a question about the survey, email [email protected]
Survey results will be shared in Spring 2026.
Enhanced Partnership
The formation of a statutory Enhanced Partnership is necessary in order to be eligible for future Government funding.
The Enhanced Partnership is formed of two elements:
- the Enhanced Partnership Plan - sets out the plans outlined in the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), providing the context for the proposed local bus service improvements
- the Enhanced Partnership Scheme - sets out in more detail how the plan objectives will be achieved through an agreed set of actions. Further schemes can be made as required to facilitate delivery of the Plan
The EP Plan and Scheme is the legal framework to deliver the BSIP. This allows the Council and local bus operators to work together to deliver an improved bus network and bus infrastructure to meet Plymouth residents’ priorities and meet the BSIP objectives. The LTA has formal responsibility to form the partnership. It can only proceed with proposals if it has the support and input of local bus operators.
As required under the legislation, the Council was required to consult stakeholders on the proposal to make the EP Plan and Scheme that will deliver the BSIP so that stakeholders’ views on the Plan and Scheme could be considered before it was finalised.
Members approved the development and implementation of Plymouth’s Enhanced Partnership at Cabinet on 9 February 2023.
The Plymouth Enhanced Partnership (EP) was made on 1 April 2023 and the latest variation of the EP Plan was published in April 2025.
The EP Scheme was made on 1 April 2023 and the latest variation was published in December 2024.
The EP Forum and EP Board will meet quarterly to discuss and review the progress of the plans outlined in the EP and BSIP. Details of how these meetings are held can be found in the EP Plan and Scheme documents linked above. The agenda and minutes of each meeting will be shared on this page when available.
Previous agendas, minutes and slides are available on request by emailing [email protected].
Forum meetings
Agenda:
- Welcome and introductions
- Approval of minutes from the February Forum and review of actions
- Consideration of matters arising from the March Enhanced Partnership Board meeting
- Bus network changes (February 2025 to April 2025)
- Bus operator updates
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Update
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus User Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Plymouth Enhanced Partnership Plan
- Topic of focus: Opportunities and challenges with bus travel to and from events
- Any other business
- Dates of next meetings
Agenda:
- Welcome and introductions
- Approval of minutes from the November Forum and review of actions
- Consideration of matters arising from the December Enhanced Partnership Board meeting
- Bus network changes (November 2024 to January 2025)
- Bus operator updates
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Update
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus User Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Plymouth Enhanced Partnership Plan
- Topic of focus: Skipper: Awareness, use and future aspirations
- Any other business
- Dates of next meetings
Agenda:
- Welcome and introductions
- Approval of minutes from the September Forum and review of actions
- Consideration of matters arising from the October Enhanced Partnership Board meeting
- Bus network changes (September 2024 to November 2024)
- Bus operator updates
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Phase 2 Programme Update
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus User Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Plymouth Enhanced Partnership Plan
- Topic of focus: Public Transport – Modern and Clean Vehicles
BSIP Passenger Priorities: “Modern buses that tackle climate change and are attractive, spacious, comfortable and suited to the needs of all passengers, with more buses providing child and family-friendly features such as additional space or fold-up seats to accommodate multiple pushchairs
Cleaner buses and more enjoyable bus stop environments”
- Any other business
- Dates of next meetings
Agenda:
- Welcome and introductions
- Approval of minutes from the June Forum and review of actions
- Consideration of matters arising from the July Enhanced Partnership Board meeting
- Bus network changes (June 2024 to August 2024)
- Bus operator updates
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus User Panel (Scheme Delivery Group) - update
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group) - update
- Catch the Bus Month: City Centre Event (Monday 16th September 10:00 – 16:00)
- Plymouth Enhanced Partnership Plan
- Reflections on the June topic of focus (Accessibility)
- Presentation by Living Options Devon; “Travelling with Confidence”
- Topic of focus: public transport safety considerations
BSIP Passenger Priority “More measures to help people feel safe, such as CCTV on buses, emergency help points in bus shelters and improved lighting. Also a commitment to make better use of real time passenger information, QR codes and apps to notify passengers about service disruptions and cancellations while they wait at stops.”
- Any other business
- Date of next meeting
Board meetings
Agenda:
- Welcome
- Approval of minutes from the March Board
- Enhanced Partnership Forum:
- Feedback from the April Forum
- Questions submitted by the Forum
- Enhanced Partnership:
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus Users Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA 2) (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Scheme Delivery Group Review
- Bus Service Improvement Plan – 2025/26 delivery programme update
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme Update
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Peninsula Transport - 'Better Buses' Delivery Group
- Plymouth City Council: Highways and Parking Update
- Any other business
- Date of next meeting
Agenda:
- Welcome
- Approval of minutes from the December Board
- Enhanced Partnership Forum:
- Feedback from the February Forum
- Questions submitted by the Forum
- Enhanced Partnership:
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus Users Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA 2) (Scheme Delivery Group)
- 2024/ 25 Work Programme for the Plymouth Enhanced Partnership
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Update
- Enhanced Partnership Plan Update
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Plymouth City Council: Highways and Parking Update
- Any other business
- Date of next meeting
Agenda:
- Welcome
- Approval of minutes from the October Board
- Enhanced Partnership Forum:
- Feedback from the November Forum
- Questions submitted by the Forum
- Enhanced Partnership:
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus Users Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA 2) (Scheme Delivery Group)
- 2024/25 Work Programme for the Plymouth Enhanced Partnership
- Stakeholder consultation
- Consideration of variations to the Enhanced Partnership Scheme
- Enhanced Partnership Plan Update
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Plymouth City Council: Highways and Parking Update
- Any other business
- Date of next meeting
Agenda:
- Welcome
- Approval of minutes from the July Board
- Enhanced Partnership Forum:
- Feedback from the September Forum
- Questions submitted by the Forum
- Enhanced Partnership:
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Bus Passenger Charter and Bus Users Panel (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Passenger information and publicity (Scheme Delivery Group)
- Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 (ZEBRA 2) (Scheme Delivery Group)
- 2024/25 Work Programme for the Plymouth Enhanced Partnership
- Stakeholder consultation
- Enhanced Partnership Plan Update
- Enhanced Partnership Scheme: delivery updates
- Bus Service Improvement Plan
- Plymouth City Council: Highways and Parking Update
- Any other business
- Date of next meeting
The commitment to develop an Enhanced Partnership (EP) was made by the Council in June 2021.
Bus Service Improvement Plan
The Council, as the LTA, are also required to lead the preparation of a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) for submission to the Department for Transport (DfT) setting out what the Enhanced Partnership will deliver in order to make buses easier, cheaper and more convenient to use.
The Plymouth BSIP has been developed in partnership with our public transport providers.
The original BSIP was published in October 2021 and the latest update was published in July 2024.
Please find letters of support below from local bus operators:
Delivery Programme 2025/26
This is the 2025/26 Bus Service Improvement Plan programme, which will be delivered between April 2025 and March 2026, by the Plymouth Enhanced Bus Partnership:
Mailing list
If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive notifications about BSIP updates and reports email [email protected] to sign up.
Zero emission bus bid
50 zero-emission electric double-decker buses will be coming to Plymouth this year as part of a £31.87 million joint investment in the city’s public transport.
The project, a collaboration between Plymouth City Council, Cornwall Council, Plymouth Citybus, the Go-Ahead Group and the Department for Transport, will see new electric buses operating on the 21/A, 42 and 50/51 routes in Plymouth, with six buses serving Cornwall’s Rame Peninsula on route 70.
The new buses will not only enhance the routes they operate on but also help to modernise the entire Plymouth Citybus fleet operating in the Plymouth travel-to-work area, leading to reduced carbon emissions and air quality benefits, because of the cascade of younger buses from the routes being electrified.
This will mean better transport to places of work, education, leisure and healthcare and improvements in air quality.
It will also strongly support the climate change ambitions in the Council’s Net Zero Action Plan.
Plymouth City Council’s application to the ZEBRA 2 fund:
Commercially sensitive information has been removed from the published application form which is why parts of the form are blank.
For more information see our ZEBRA project page.