There has been a steady decline in bus patronage for years and a withdrawal of hundreds of routes. Since 2008/09 bus patronage in England outside London is down almost 12% and funding is down 25%. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson today (15 March 2021) unveils a new bus strategy, Bus Back Better, to reverse that. It will see lower, simpler flat fares in towns and cities, turn-up-and-go services on main routes, and new flexible services to reconnect communities.

The government’s new bus strategy, backed by £3 billion aims to give passengers more frequent, more reliable, easier to use and understand, better coordinated and cheaper bus services.

The bus strategy is part of the government's aim to level up services across the country to encourage more people to use the bus, rather than the car, as we build back better from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Buses are lifelines and liberators, connecting people to jobs they couldn’t otherwise take, driving pensioners and young people to see their friends, sustaining town centres and protecting the environment.

As we build back from the pandemic, better buses will be one of our first acts of levelling-up.

Just as they did in London, our reforms will make buses the transport of choice, reducing the number of car journeys and improving quality of life for millions.

Source: www.gov.uk

The Bus Back Better strategy can be found here. 

CIHT supports the national bus strategy announced today as increased funding is necessary to reverse the significant decline that bus patronage has seen outside of London for many years. CIHT see the use of public transport on electric and hydrogen buses is part of the steps necessary to achieving net zero. Further, CIHT continues to call for the government to create a National Transport Strategy that would incorporate the bus strategy and provide a clear focus for everyone involved in and dependent upon transport as to how to plan and invest for the future.

CIHT's Buses in Urban Developments provides guidelines to how bus services can be placed at the heart of development planning and urban transport. In that document the following points are highlighted:

• Further recognition that high quality buses services should be integral in the urban fabric.  This requires a coordinated approach to support this, starting from the governing spatial plan to the development management regime and local transport policies.
• Industry has an opportunity to learn from examples where bus operators and developers have worked effectively in partnership with local authorities to ensure good bus services across the UK.
• A need for recognition that high quality bus services are an essential part of an integrated approach to sustainable urban transport.  By designing developments that support buses, the potential of urban developments can be more fully realised. 
• Evidence shows that high quality bus services attract high levels of use. This leads to a win-win situation with improved urban environments promoting economic success.