About the consultation: bus service improvement plan
Consultation closed: Wednesday 22 September 2021
Consultation opened: Wednesday 8 September 2021
In March 2021, the government announced its new Bus Back Better strategy which aims to make significant improvements to bus services across England by expecting local transport authorities and bus operaters to work together to deliver a better service and encourage passengers back to using buses.
The government has pledged £3 billion in funding across the country to help deliver these plans and we're aiming to secure a fair share of that funding.
Along with our bus operators (A2B Bus, Arriva, Centrebus, Flittabus, Grant Palmer, Herberts Travel, Ivel Sprinter, Marshalls, Masons, Red Eagle, Red Rose, Road Runner, South Beds Dial-a-Ride, Stagecoach, Star Travel, Uno, Wanderbus and Z&S Buses), we will be working with local communities to deliver a fully integrated service with simple, multi-modal tickets, more bus priority measures, the same high-quality information for all passengers in more places, and better turn-up-and-go frequencies that keep running into the evenings and at weekends.
As part of the strategy there are two key requirements:
The creation of a legally binding enhanced partnership or franchise arrangement between us and local bus operators. Due to the rural nature of provision in Central Bedfordshire, we have given notice of our intention to form an enhanced partnership to set strategic priorities through longer-term enhanced partnership plans and schemes that support sustainable travel and modal shift over the next 10 to 15 years.
The development of a bus service improvement plan (BSIP) that provides an overarching document setting out the our ambitions and our stakeholders' for improving bus services across Central Bedfordshire.
This consultation is about Central Bedfordshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.
We are seeking your initial views for two weeks from week commencing Wednesday 8 September 2021 to Wednesday 22 September 2021. Responses will be considered by the project team and where applicable incorporated into the next phase of the project development.
The consultation is to run for two weeks in order to fit in with the timetable of dates as set out by the government, for us to secure funding. There will be a longer opportunity to take part in another consultation, next year, on the enhanced partnership plan.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to this consultation.
View or download the full consultation document (PDF) for more information.