Charity welcomes Government funding for buses
17 November 2024
Reacting to the Government announcement of a £1 billion funding boost for bus services, Silviya Barrett of Campaign for Better Transport said:
“With millions of people relying on buses, this funding is hugely welcome. It is particularly good news that the money will be allocated based on need, as we have been calling for, rather than making local authorities compete for funding – a process that has led in the past to some glaringly unequal outcomes. All communities deserve a reliable, regular and affordable bus service.”
Research by Campaign for Better Transport has revealed huge disparities in recent funding for bus services, resulting from the current fragmented, competitive way that bus funding is allocated. Looking at funding up to October 2023, ten councils received over £50 per head to improve bus services from central government, compared to 14 councils that received less than £6 per head.
| Local authority | £/head | Local authority | £/head |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swindon | £3.98 | Lancashire | £35.83 |
| Isle of Wight | £4.20 | Derby | £36.82 |
| Dorset | £4.84 | Blackburn with Darwen | £37.58 |
| Slough | £4.90 | North East Lincolnshire | £38.45 |
| Suffolk | £5.16 | Nottingham | £46.12 |
| Buckinghamshire | £5.19 | Norfolk | £57.76 |
| Wokingham | £5.20 | Derbyshire | £66.94 |
| Milton Keynes | £5.26 | East Sussex | £78.64 |
| Southampton | £5.40 | Warrington | £86.03 |
| Hampshire | £5.43 | City of York | £93.48 |
| Thurrock | £5.49 | Luton | £94.22 |
| Southend-on-Sea | £5.52 | Brighton and Hove | £101.89 |
| Bracknell Forest | £5.75 | Stoke-on-Trent | £133.06 |
| Medway | £5.83 | Reading | £168.68 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | £6.05 | Portsmouth | £235.76 |
ENDS
For further information please contact the press office on 07984 773 468 (calls only no texts) or communications@bettertransport.org.uk
Notes to Editors
Read the new Government announcement.
View our list of Local Authority bus funding per head. To calculate the allocations per head, our analysis combined the allocations announced on gov.uk from the following funding sources and divided the sum by the population of that local authority area: Original BSIP (2022 to 2025), BSIP+ (2023/24 and 2024/25), the initial £150 million funding covering 2024/25 allocated from a total of £1 billion dedicated for buses from Network North for northern and midlands authorities only.
Campaign for Better Transport operates in England and Wales. Campaign for Better Transport’s vision is for all communities to have access to high quality, sustainable transport that meets their needs, improves quality of life and protects the environment. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).
