Improving buses – Enhanced Partnership approved
Tuesday, 8 February 2022
Plans to provide residents with improved bus services in Central Bedfordshire have reached another significant milestone.
Following the publication of our Bus Service Improvement Plan – part of the government’s new national bus strategy (Bus Back Better) – our Executive committee has approved plans to make an Enhanced Partnership with bus operators.
A notice of intent to make an Enhanced Partnership for bus services was published in June and a consultation with operators was undertaken in November to refine the details outlined in the partnership. A public consultation followed in January to seek the views of residents.
An Enhanced Partnership is a legally binding agreement between us and bus operators which identifies ways to encourage people to use buses more for their journeys.
The Enhanced Partnership is the second part of a two-stage process. Local transport authorities were required to submit their Bus Service Improvement Plan to the Department for Transport, by 31 October 2021 and make an Enhanced Partnership by 22 March 2022.
Councillor Ian Dalgarno, our Executive Member for Community Services said:
It is great news that agreement to make an Enhanced Partnership has been confirmed. We are committed to making buses easier, cheaper, and more convenient to use for all.
We have a new shared vision for improving bus services in Central Bedfordshire which we hope will get more residents choosing buses for their everyday journeys.
We await a decision on the amount of funding we'll receive from the Department for Transport, following the submission of our Bus Service Improvement Plan on 29 October 2021.