£16 million funding announced for Kent bus services

The Department for Transport has announced additional funding to help lower bus fares, improve punctuality and reduce journey times for busses in Kent.

The funding is intended to improve local transport connections and grow the economy.

The money will go to Kent County Council for its bus service improvement plan (BSIP) to improve local bus services, speed up bus journey times and deliver lower fares to help passengers save money on travel.

Kent will be hosting the Big Free Bus Weekend on 24 and 25 June when all bus travel across the county will be completely free.

Roads Minister Richard Holden said: "Many people across Kent rely on the bus to get to work and go shopping, attend medical appointments and see friends and family.

"That is why today we’re confirming over £16 million on top of our previous £19 million investment to boost Kent’s bus services and help build the modern, reliable and affordable bus network all residents in Kent deserve.

"We’ve now invested more than £3.5 billion since 2020 to protect bus routes in England and help people ‘Get Around for £2’ as we leave no stone unturned to level up transport, help people save money on travel and grow the economy."

Kent County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, David Brazier, said: "Better access to local transport helps our communities across Kent to thrive. The additional money from the Department for Transport’s bus service improvement plan will make it easier, cheaper and more reliable to get around, thereby boosting our local economy.

"This gives us an opportunity to develop our relationships with operator firms across the county to ensure people can make easy and sustainable choices when they want to move around Kent, whether that be to learn, work or play."