Department for Transport
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
£25m to kick-start better buses
Ruth Kelly, Transport Secretary, today announced £25 million to provide new and improved bus services across England. This will better connect local communities with vital services - like hospitals, business centres and colleges - and help tackle congestion and rural accessibility by giving people more alternatives to their car.
Over the last three years the Kickstart programme has helped councils and bus operators introduce 43 new or enhanced bus services. This resulted in increases in local bus use and improved the quality of bus services for local communities. For example:
* Lancashire County Council has reduced social exclusion and improved access to local colleges, the local hospital, several leisure facilities and supermarkets by offering new, round the clock services across Chorley. (Kickstart award: £802,618)
* Tyne and Wear Council has established a new bus route into Newcastle upon Tyne. This links people to major employers and popular retail facilities and already carries in excess of 2,000 passengers a day. (Kickstart award £565,000).
* Kent County Council has connected deprived areas to the regional centre of Canterbury. The new circular service offers buses every ten minutes and the number of passengers using it has exceeded all expectations - with new vehicles purchased to match demand. (Kickstart award: £447,000) Ruth Kelly said:
"If we are to encourage more people to leave their car at home we have to give them more choice over how they travel.
"Kickstart has already made a real difference, giving people reliable, accessible, modern and comfortable buses and linking them to vital local services like hospitals, employment, schools or colleges and leisure facilities.
"That is why I am today announcing another £25 million for the Kickstart Programme, to further improve bus services in communities across England." Councils will soon be invited to submit applications for the programme demonstrating how they will work in partnership with bus operators to develop long-term and viable schemes.
Notes to Editors:
1. Kickstart is pump-priming funding provided by the Department for Transport for new or enhanced bus services with a potential to become commercially or otherwise sustainable.
2. The aim of the funds is to boost local bus use, providing alternative sustainable transport choices that encourage people out of their cars and helping to tackle congestion and accessibility.
3. Kickstart was first introduced on a pilot basis as part of the Urban and Rural Bus Challenge competitions in 2003 - 18 projects were awarded nearly £8m funding. A further Kickstart competition was held in 2005. £20m funding went to 43 schemes from 34 local authorities.
4. Over the coming months, the Department will engage stakeholders on the details of the Kickstart scheme in preparation for the competition to begin early next year. Guidance will be released to accompany the competition to help local authorities develop their applications.
5. DfT will be looking for schemes that show the potential for sufficient patronage growth to become viable within a three-year period. DfT will be particularly interested in proposals that demonstrate how local authorities will use the new bus powers for partnership working in the Local Transport Bill. The Bill, currently before Parliament, gives local authorities greater local freedom and choice with increased flexibility and powers to deliver a tailored transport system better suited to local needs. It includes new powers to promote more effective partnership working between local authorities and bus operators.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport
Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
