Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport has welcomed £3,579,462 of new funding for buses in Hampshire County Council, as part of a national £80m Bus Service Improvement Plan for 2024-25. This build on the £80 million invested in 2023-24 and £1 billion invested in 2022, supporting bus passengers in Gosport.
To help people with the cost of living and save on everyday travel costs, the Conservative Government have also invested £200 million to extend the bus fare cap, with single bus tickets capped at £2 outside London until the end of October 2023 and then at £2.50 until 30 November 2024.
The £2 fare cap has cut travel costs where buses are crucial for so many people to get around, with the average fare dropping by 10.8 per cent in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England.
The measures take total government support to protect and improve bus services while keeping fares low to £3.5 billion since 2020.
Welcoming the additional funding, Caroline said:
“I know just how important a reliable and accessible bus service is for so many people. To lots of people, they serve as a lifeline to socialise, shop for the essentials, to get to work or see friends and family.
“The government have recognised this too, with £3.5 billion invested in bus services since 2020, including this increase of £3.5m for the Hampshire County Council area.
“This funding will protect essential services and enhance transport connections, supporting people to get where they need to go with public transport they can rely on.”
Commenting, Roads Minister Richard Holden MP said:
“Buses are the most popular form of public transport and millions of people across the country from the Tees Valley to Torbay rely on their local service to get to work, attend medical appointments and see loved ones.
“We are providing a further £80 million to help local authorities improve and protect essential services, delivering for local communities across the country by enhancing transport connections, supporting passengers and growing the economy.”
