Bus travel in Brighton & Hove has been given a major boost following the announcement of a multimillion-pound UK government funding award.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has provisionally awarded the city £27.9m to implement its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), a strategic document that sets out how the council and local bus operators can continue to work together to improve and grow bus use.
Working with operators, Brighton & Hove City Council’s intention is to use the funding to help make bus journeys faster and more reliable, as well as help reduce the cost of bus travel.
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According to the council, further details of how this will be spent need to be agreed with the DfT and further information will be published in due course.
The next step will be to begin developing schemes to help meet these goals. Funding will be released when an ‘Enhanced Partnership’ has been agreed with operators.
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Councillor Steve Davis, co-chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “This is fantastic news for the future of bus travel in Brighton & Hove and I would like to thank our council team for their hard work in putting together the BSIP.
“We already have excellent bus usage in the city and a great relationship with local bus operators. This funding will help us to build on work that’s being done, continue to improve bus services and enable more people to travel by bus.
“Getting more people onto public transport is vital if we’re to cut carbon emissions in the city and tackle the climate emergency we face. Improving our bus network and making services accessible for everyone is a key part of doing that.”
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