Boost to get on the buses

Bus services will be improved across the county thanks to a cash injection of almost £12million from the government.

Lincolnshire County Council is to get £11.8m of the £81m for the East Midlands announced by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh. 

The county received the highest amount for an individual authority in the region - according to the Department for Transport new funding methods have determined allocation so it is now based on ‘place need and levels of deprivation and population’.

Every region in England will benefit from funding but those areas that have been historically underserved are being prioritised. 

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for Transport at LCC said: “This funding announcement is very welcome news and comes on the heels of two years of hard work with our bus improvement programme.  

“We have seen the benefits of that already with 150,000 extra passengers using buses in Lincolnshire. 

“We will look to continue that work further and carry on growing the specific benefits of getting about on bus in our county. By working with local bus companies in the right way, we have already seen a very real success, which has been paid for by the previous Bus Service Improvement Plan funding. 

“That money enabled us to increase the amount of bus routes available and boost their frequency. This latest funding announcement serves to let us continue that good transport work for Lincolnshire people who want to continue getting about on buses.” 

Transport Secretary Haigh said: “The value of regular and reliable bus services cannot be understated.  

“This funding kickstarts the bus revolution to bring an end to the postcode lottery of bus services, drive economic growth and make sure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities.   

“We’ve already committed over £150million to extend the bus fare cap and keep fares low and this nearly £1billion of further funding will mean local routes are protected, reliability is improved and the passenger is put first.”