We have submitted a £117 million plan to transform local bus services, on behalf of the recently formed Plymouth Bus Service Improvement Partnership.
The Bus Service Improvement Plan is something we committed to developing back in June, along with the new ‘enhanced partnership’ with local bus operators.
All local transport authorities are required to do this to access £3 billion of discretionary funding set aside under the Government’s ‘Bus Back Better’ strategy for England, published in March.
This national strategy aims to dramatically improve bus services across England to reverse the long-term decline in the number of journeys made by bus, as well as encourage passengers back post-COVID-19.
Plymouth’s plan, informed by local and national research on what passengers’ top priorities are, focuses on making buses more frequent; more reliable; easier to understand and use; better co-ordinated and cheaper.
It identifies the following priorities:
- high frequencies on core corridors, with buses available seven days a week (both in the evenings and during the day)
- high quality infrastructure, reducing journey times
- services that connect more destinations
- great value for money
- services that people are supported and empowered to use
Subject to funding being secured, the plan will deliver:
- more frequent buses on Plymouth’s six core bus corridors, with significantly better frequencies in the evening and at weekends
- enhanced park and ride services
- a competitively priced range of ‘Skipper’ tickets covering all bus operators (with the intention of adding ferry and rail services during the plan period), offering great value for commuters and leisure riders
- more bus priority, building on the investment being delivered through the Council’s Transforming Cities Fund programme, supporting faster and more reliable journeys
- travel planning support to help people gain skills and confidence in choosing their bus routes and finding timetable and ticketing information
Councillor Jonathan Drean, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "Restoring confidence in the city’s bus network and boosting passenger levels – first to pre-pandemic levels and then further – is essential if we are to deliver our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030 and deliver the sustainable growth targets set out in the Plymouth Plan.
“Our Bus Service Improvement Plan will deliver a step-change in local public transport and support our commitment to encouraging and increasing bus use by working with bus operators to provide services and routes residents want.”
Richard Stevens, Managing Director of Plymouth Citybus, said: “I am pleased to support the ambitions described in the Plymouth Bus Improvement Plan; buses have long been the ‘forgotten essential service’. The successful implementation of bus service improvements will help Plymouth to be the successful, well-connected, vibrant and healthy place we all want to live in.”
Mike Watson, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, said: “Buses are a critical mode of public transport, connecting people with work, education and retail and bringing friends and families together. We welcome the ambition in the Plymouth Bus Service Improvement Partnership.
"The national bus strategy provides an opportunity for all partners – operators, national government and local authorities – to work together to harness the huge potential of the bus to help tackle climate change, deliver better air quality in our towns and cities, secure improved mobility for local people and support a sustainable economic recovery for the country.
"Planning our towns and cities around green buses and active travel, rather than private cars, is central to delivering faster, better value services and getting more people back on board the bus. That is why it is critical that the new bus strategy is matched by the right level of funding, consistent policy across government and a flexible partnership approach which prioritises benefits for customers and local communities."