Government extends support for buses and trams

Bus and tram services will receive extra government support worth up to £256 million to help them increase services ahead of expected rises in public transport use in September.

The Department for Transport said that bus services across the country will receive up to £218.4 million of support over the next eight weeks, with rolling funding at up to £27.3 million per week afterwards, until a time when the funding is no longer needed. Additionally, tram services also have access to up to £37.4 million over 12 weeks, at a rate of up to £3.1 million a week, with funding to be reviewed at the end of the period.

The funding will enable operators to mitigate the impact of the loss of revenue, while continuing to build back to normal service levels. Currently, passenger numbers on bus and light rail services are significantly below normal levels despite the bus network now running at over 80 per cent of normal service levels.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “As we continue to open up the economy more people are using public transport and need sufficient service levels in order to travel safely. That’s why we took swift action at the start of this outbreak to ensure that these services were maintained for key workers then and would still be there for people when the economy opened back up. This extension of funding pushes our overall support past £700 million and means people across the country will have access to the transport services they need.”

Graham Vidler, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: “Continued social distancing measures mean capacity on buses remains reduced and income from passenger fares is still significantly lower than normal. This latest funding will help us keep running a comprehensive bus network that millions of people rely on. Bus operators remain committed to working with government, passengers, businesses and local authorities to provide a safe, flexible and sustainable bus network for local communities.”

Total support during the pandemic for bus and tram services will reach at least £700 million.