TRANSPORT bosses will continue to fund bus services regarded as ‘socially necessary’ as part of a review of the region’s network.
The Transport for West Midland’s (TfWM) Transport Delivery Committee has agreed to continue to fund at least 78 of 114 bus service contracts.
The operator said it had been made possible after the committee agreed to relax value for money criteria and provide an £800,000 increase in the 2023/24 annual subsidy – taking the total to £16.3million.
It also warned mitigation options would now be explored in an attempt to significantly reduce the services at risk which include national funding from the Government’s Local Transport fund and cash from the region’s Bus Service Implementation Plan.
TfWM said it was also looking at options to expand its Uber-style on-demand bus services.
The announcement follows a review of both commercial and subsidised bus services across the region.
The subsidies, funded by TfWM, are targeted at gaps in the bus network which individual operators are no longer able to fill on a commercial basis.
A public engagement exercise has now been launched to inform passengers of changes to subsidised bus services.
Pete Bond, TfWM’s director of integrated transport services, said: “Bus services are by far the most used form of public transport in the region, offer an affordable alternative to the private car and play a vital role in reducing traffic congestion, cutting pollution, and assisting our moves towards a net-zero carbon region.”
He added, though, the industry was struggling and five smaller operators in the region had been lost since the start of the Covid pandemic.
“As a transport authority we need to target our limited resources where they can make the most difference and, using our value for money criteria, protect the taxpayer.
“It is an incredibly difficult situation, but we are pleased that by adjusting our rules we have been able to reduce the impact of the review and will be looking for ways to extend existing services or introduce alternatives to cover some areas.”
The fare freeze is one part of a wide-ranging Bus Service Improvement Plan being developed by TfWM, backed by £88million, ring-fenced Department for Transport funding, to make buses more attractive, convenient and affordable for passengers.
This is on top of the funding secured through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, which will develop 50km of bus lanes and bus priority measures, new cross-city bus routes and further improvements in live travel information to help improve service reliability over the next five years.
