England’s buses will continue to serve those who rely on them
thanks to a funding boost totalling £397m for vital bus operators,
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced
today [Friday 3 April]. The package, agreed jointly with
the bus industry, will keep key routes running to provide a
lifeline for those who cannot work from home, including those
travelling to jobs on the frontline of the UK’s fight against
Covid-19, such as NHS...Request free
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England’s buses will continue to serve those who rely on them
thanks to a funding boost totalling £397m for vital bus
operators, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has
announced today [Friday 3 April].
The package, agreed jointly with the bus industry, will keep key
routes running to provide a lifeline for those who cannot work
from home, including those travelling to jobs on the frontline of
the UK’s fight against Covid-19, such as NHS staff.
New funding of up to £167 million will be paid over twelve weeks
under the new Covid-19 Bus Services Support Grant. As a condition
of the funding, bus operators will be required to maintain
necessary services at a level which is sufficient to meet much
reduced demand, but also to allow adequate space between
passengers on board. This is expected to be up to 50 per cent of
normal service levels.
“We have been very
clear during the outbreak that the best way to stop the spread of
the virus and protect the NHS, is to stay at home if possible.
“Our buses are a lifeline for people who need to travel for work
or to buy food – including our emergency services and NHS staff –
and it’s absolutely v…
Operators will also be required to keep passengers properly
informed about revised timetables to ensure that people know
which services are running and when.
The Government has also promised that £200 million of
existing funding under the Bus Services Operators Grant will
continue to be paid as normal even though not all services may
run during this time. This funding is usually paid according to
fuel consumption, and so the Government’s commitment to pay
this on pre-Covid-19 levels will help ensure that bus companies
are able to benefit despite fewer fare-paying passengers
travelling.
This is in addition to up to £30 million of extra
Government bus funding, originally earmarked for starting new
services, which will instead be paid to local authorities to
maintain existing services.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi
Sunak, said:
“It’s vital people protect our NHS by staying at home
during the outbreak – but we also need to ensure that doctors,
nurses and other key workers, can travel to and from their
jobs.
“This funding will provide a lifeline for those on the
frontline as well as those who cannot work from
home.”
Councils have also been encouraged to maintain their existing
subsidies for concessionary fares to ensure that older and
disabled people can still travel when they need to, for example
to reach the shops, hospitals and doctors' surgeries.
CPT Chief Executive Graham
Vidlersaid:
“Bus operators of all
sizes across the country are providing an essential service at a
time of national emergency, and we thank the thousands of staff
doing an incredible job to keep routes running. “This funding is
designed to plug the gap between the costs of running essential
routes and revenue c…
This is the latest step in a string of urgent measures being
taken forward by Government to support vital public services,
including emergency measures to sustain rail services as
operators manage the impacts of Covid-19, and support for
crucial links to different parts of the UK.
~ Ends ~
Editors notes
Under the new Covid-19 Bus Services Support Grant, up to £13.9m
per week will be made available to bus services for at least the
next twelve weeks, totalling up to £167 million.
