£24m boost for county bus services

The Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's busservices up to 2030.

- Daniel Mumby Local democracy reporter

The Department for Transport (DfT) provides every local authority in England and Wales with annual funding to subsidise local bus services and associated infrastructure, known as the local authority bus grant.

This grant replaced the grants provided for each council’s bus services improvement plans (BSIPs), which were introduced by Boris Johnson's Conservative government in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

Somerset has received a multiyear settlement, with the funding being more or less evenly split between capital funding (which can be used for new buses, bus stations or other major projects) and revenue funding (which can be used for day-to-day spending, including capping ticket costs).

Somerset Council has also welcomed the settlement, stating it will allow it to continue providing vital support to local buses services.

Under the latest settlement, the council will receive a total of £24,741,113 between the 2026/27 and 2029/30 financial years.