Bus users say city in need of better service

BUSES HAVE BEEN 'A DISASTER SINCE COVID' SAYS ONE WOMAN

- By ALISON STEPHENSON

PLYMOUTH needs a more frequent and reliable bus service if it wants to get more cars off the road, that's the verdict of some local residents who say that public transport in the city has gone downhill since Covid.

Speaking to bus users in Royal Parade on the day the road and buses minister Simon Lightwood was in town to announce £5.2 million a year for Plymouth for the next three years, they were quite clear that city has a long way to go to make bus travel appealing to workers, shoppers and visitors.

The deal for Plymouth is part of a £245.9 million boost for buses in the South West.

The government is devolving power from Whitehall so local authorities can make decisions on how the money is spent in association with bus companies and communities.

It says this multiyear settlement enables them to make long term investments which they have been held back from doing in recent years.

Plymouth City Council is on a journey to increase bus use which has fallen since the Covid pandemic and started to implement a bus service improvement plan in 2023. This has included new routes being introduced, more services on Sundays, better bus stops, digital passenger information and safety and accessibility improvements at Royal Parade which sees more than 100 services an hour stop there.

Fifty new electric buses have also been introduced through a £31 million joint partnership between Plymouth City Council, Cornwall Council and Citybus, with £10 million coming from government.