England’s bus industry is to receive a £397m bailout from the UK government.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said the package, agreed jointly with the bus industry, will keep key routes running for key workers and those who cannot work from home.
Funding of up to £167m will be paid over 12 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 sufficient to meet much reduced demand, but also to allow adequate space between passengers on board.
This is expected to be up to 50% of normal service levels.
Shapps said: “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 vital we do all we can to keep the sector running.
“This multi-million-pound investment will protect crucial local transport links across England, bolstering the sector and minimising disruption for passengers in the long term.”
Operators will also be required to keep passengers informed about revised timetables to ensure that people know which services are running and when.
The government has also promised that £200m of existing funding under the Bus Services Operators Grant will continue to be paid as normal.
This is in addition to up to £30m of extra government bus funding, originally earmarked for starting new services, which will instead be paid to local authorities to maintain existing services.
Graham Vidler, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, welcomed the rescue package.
“This funding is designed to plug the gap between the costs of running essential routes and revenue currently being received, and will help the country through the outbreak by allowing critical journeys to continue.
“We’re pleased the government is working with us to ensure essential bus journeys can continue and will work closely with them to ensure the network remains viable.”
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