Navigating the new National Bus Strategy
The new National Bus Strategy launched by the Prime Minister on 15 March is an opportunity to transform local bus services. For local authorities with transport responsibilities, however, it brings with it a host of new requirements and relatively little time in which to meet them.
One of the most significant of these is the Bus Service Improvement Plan which every local authority has to produce and which must be ‘driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want in their area’.
These plans must be published by the end of October 2021, updated annually and reflected in the authority’s Local Transport Plan. They need to be developed in collaboration with operators, community transport providers and, critically, the local community including residents and businesses, with a significant focus on driving improvements for passengers.