Improving bus services: Have your say on the next steps
Thursday, 6 January 2022
You can help shape the future of bus services in Central Bedfordshire.
Following the publication of our Bus Service Improvement Plan – part of the government’s new national bus strategy (Bus Back Better) – we're consulting on the second part of the process of forming an Enhanced Partnership with bus operators.
The Enhanced Partnership will identify ways to improve bus services and how to encourage more people to use buses for their journeys.
The measures outlined in the Enhanced Partnership, include:
- promotion and publicity (e.g. a new pan-Bedfordshire, all-operator, app providing the latest information)
- operational benefit (e.g. bus priority at traffic lights)
- network development (e.g. more early morning, late evening, and weekend services on selected routes to meet the wishes of residents)
- fares and ticketing (e.g. to introduce a multi-operator ticket covering Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Bedford and tap on / tap off technology to make it easier to use the buses)
- standards (e.g. agree targets for increased reliability and improved punctuality of bus services)
The consultation is open for just over 2 weeks (Wednesday 6 January 2022 to Monday 24 January 2022) and seeks residents opinions on the proposed Enhanced Partnership objectives and commitments.
Find out how to have your say.
Councillor Ian Dalgarno, our Executive Member for Community Services, said:
We have successfully completed the first part of the process, publishing our Bus Service Improvement Plan and would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond. That valuable feedback has helped in the formation of the Enhanced Partnership so far.
We are now progressing the final stage of the funding bid by creating an Enhanced Partnership between us and bus operators. The partnership will be legally binding with joint commitments to deliver objectives that ultimately improve the bus service network in Central Bedfordshire for our residents.
We are continuing to work with bus operators to improve services and access funding, to make bus travel a more attractive transport choice for local people.
The results will assist us and bus operators in developing effective schemes that respond to customers’ wishes, as part of the implementation of the Enhanced Partnership.