North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan and Ludlow MP Philip Dunne have welcomed news that Shropshire is set to receive £1.84 million in extra funding for bus services.
The investment forms the first part of a £1 billion investment into bus services from Network North – using savings from HS2 to improve more journeys for more people.
While it is up to local authorities in partnership with operators to decide how best to use the funding, the new funding for next year is enough to support up to 25 million miles of new bus services across the North and Midlands, helping local authorities provide more regular and reliable services or cheaper fares delivered through fare initiatives and ticket price caps.
Funding for community schemes, through Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), is also being given to Severn Hospice and Friendly Bus, which serves Broseley and Much Wenlock. The BSOG is a discretionary grant paid to operators of eligible local bus services to help them recover some of their fuel costs. The amount each bus operator receives is based on the amount of fuel they use.
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has warmly welcomed the news. Helen has been a campaigner on the lack of public transport in North Shropshire, petitioning residents over her ‘Bus Bill’ presented to Parliament last year and making appeals to Shropshire Council over the situation.
Earlier this year she brought bus operators, community transport providers, council representatives and other stakeholders together for a ‘bus roundtable’ event in Shropshire and followed that up by hosting a rural connectivity event in Parliament.
Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire said:
“It is great to see that Shropshire is receiving a long-overdue boost to funding for rural bus services.
“In my time as North Shropshire’s MP, I have heard far too many stories of people unable to get about without a car – even between major towns. This stops people from accessing job opportunities, from getting onto the high street or to medical appointments, and creates real social isolation.
“This funding won’t fix the state of our transport network alone, but it is very welcome news all the same, and comes after a lot of hard work from local people campaigning on the issue.”
Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow said:
“The decision to scrap the second leg of HS2 was not an easy one, but here we are already seeing the effects – more money redirected towards localised public transport schemes, including bus services in Shropshire.
“A further £1.8m for next year, and direct support to both Severn Hospice and the Friendly Bus, serving Broseley and Much Wenlock, is very welcome news and will help local residents get about using public transport.”
The Government have also announced the £2 bus fare cap is extended across the country from next week until 31st December 2024.
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