Please use the search to locate specific information.
Tuesday 1 November 2005 09:57
Department for Transport (National)
BUSES TO GET £20 MILLION BOOST
Bus passengers are to benefit from an additional £20 million Government funding, Transport Minister Karen Buck announced today.
The funds, which will provide pump priming investment for new and improved bus services, will be shared among 43 schemes across England. The aim of the funds is to boost local bus use.
Transport Minister Karen Buck said:
"This is great news for bus users who will benefit from faster and more reliable services with better waiting facilities and improved journey experiences.
"Buses can offer inexpensive and flexible transport and can help tackle congestion by encouraging people out of their cars. This new funding demonstrates Government's commitment to buses.
"The winning schemes demonstrate how local authorities can work with bus operators to develop viable schemes which are well integrated into existing public transport. They will also contribute to wider objectives like social inclusion and future local development."
Among the 43 projects to receive funding are:
Cambridge sustainable transport 2020 Vision - phase 1 - £2,487,000
Partners: Cambridgeshire County Council/ Stagecoach
The first phase of a joint action plan between bus operators and Cambridgeshire County Council to implement long-term sustainable transport solutions.
Nottingham East Midlands airport bus strategy - Skylink Shuttle package - £701,571
Partners: Leicestershire County Council/ KinchBus / Arriva
This project will deliver improved access to Nottingham East Midlands Airport, through upgrades of the Nottingham Skylink bus service, and the Derby - Loughborough Airline Shuttle.
Regenerating Gainsborough - £419,000
Partners: Lincolnshire County Council/ Lincolnshire Road Car
The project aims to increase travel by bus within Gainsborough by entering into partnership with Lincolnshire Road Car to deliver InterTown, the County Council's highly successful market town initiative.
Medway service 176 cross town upgrade - £581,987
Partners: Medway Council/ Arriva Southern Counties
This project enhances the 176 bus service through Medway linking homes, businesses, shops, schools, regeneration areas, Medway Hospital and Chatham station.
Camborne Pool Redruth - Falmouth bus corridor - £520,395 Partners: Cornwall County Council/ First Devon & Cornwall
The Camborne / Pool / Redruth (CPR) - Falmouth corridor enhancement is a bus project that will deliver high quality services, information and infrastructure to support the spatial growth in employment and housing, as well as serving increasing student numbers in these two key urban centres over the next five years and beyond.
The full list of successful schemes is attached.
Notes to Editors
The funds were awarded under the Kickstart Bus Challenge competition which gave local authorities, in partnership with operators, the opportunity to bid for funding to provide pump priming funds for new improved bus services. The services which will be developed by operators and local authorities, all have the potential to achieve viability through patronage growth within no more than three years. The successful schemes were selected from a total of 117 projects submitted by 60 local transport authorities in England.
The Kickstart schemes were piloted in the 2003 Bus Challenge competitions when 18 schemes were awarded almost £8 million. Following the success of the Urban & Rural Bus Challenge between 1998-2003, the introduction of Kickstart is a new element which aims to pump-prime services which local authorities and operators have identified as having sufficient potential for patronage growth to become viable within a three-year period.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
2005 KICKSTART BUS COMPETITION
Authority Total Cost Title of Bid Approved Cambridgeshire 2,487,000 Project to implement long-term sustainable transport solutions to include improved bus routes, infrastructure and traffic management. Cheshire 998,564 Improved bus services on Northwich - Winsford - Leighton Hospital - Crewe corridor with enhanced frequency and waiting environment. Cornwall 520,395 Enhanced bus services on the Camborne / Pool / Redruth (CPR) - Falmouth corridor. High quality services, information and infrastructure for employment and housing, as well as increasing student numbers. Derbyshire 154,045 Scheme enhances bus route 39 from Grangewood estate through Chesterfield town centre to Loundsley Green housing estate. With new buses with an increased frequency . Devon 750,000 Exeter City Select involves major upgrade of Exeter City services A, E, F, B and P. 293,000 Tavy Goldline. Major upgrade of bus services between Tavistock, Yelverton, Derriford Hospital and Plymouth. Will benefit employment, education, hospital and airport facilities. Essex 548,681 Canvey Island direct link to Chelms ford. A new, quality, branded service linking the large settlement of Canvey Island with Chelmsford. via the London railhead at Benfleet. 245,000 Jaywick to Clacton Town Centre will establish a new hourly bus service linking the economically deprived settlement of Jaywick to the major local service/amenity centre of Clacton. Greater 446,425 This project seeks to improve service Manchester 263 between Manchester and Altrincham by enhancing daytime services and providing new evening and Sunday services. 285,780 New X34 service will provide a new all day express service between Leigh and Manchester and additional journeys in the morning and evening peak. 358,250 Enhanced 378 service will improve an existing service from Bramhall into Stockport through increased frequency. Gloucestershire 435,000 Scheme will merge and enhance services D and E in North and South Cheltenham. Halton 119,546 Scheme provides new improved Service 61 service linking Farnworth in north Widnes to Widnes town centre. Hampshire 228,000 A fleet of brand new low floor single deck vehicles and 100% increase of frequency on the Blackwater Valley route 3. Kent 371,000 Dover & Deal Diamond creat es network of high quality services and improved rural links in deprived area to the important urban centre of Canterbury, from Sandwich, Deal, Dover and the Kent coalfield regeneration area. . 309,714 Sittingbourne extension of a local daytime town service to provide high frequency evening journeys in key Thames Gateway growth area. Lancashire 802,618 Chorley Connect implements a high quality fully accessible integrated bus network in Chorley over nine routes. Leicestershire 701,571 Nottingham East Midlands Airport Bus Strategy - Skylink / Shuttle package will deliver an integrated solution to surface access problems to Nottingham East Midlands Airport. Leicester City 316,865 Leicester General Hospital bus link provides a direct bus link specifically between St Margaret's Bus Station and the Railway Station to/from the General Hospital. Lincolnshire 419,000 Regenerating Gainsborough aims to increase bus use in Gainsborough by delivering InterTown, the County Council's highly successful market town initiative. 713,000 Connecting Gainsborough aims to connect Gainsborough with Lincoln and Scunthorpe in to deliver InterConnect, the County Council's highly successful rural bus initiative. Medway 581,987 176 cross town upgrade will enhance the 176 bus service through Medway linking homes, businesses, shops, schools, regeneration areas, Medway Hospital and Chatham station. Northumberland 294,776 The + 518 scheme delivers high frequency services between Morpeth and Newcastle upon Tyne with additional service to village of Widdrington Station. North East 522,677 Reinvigorating the Grimsby and Lincolnshire Cleethorpes bus network. Both Services cover the main Housing areas as a circular route. North Yorkshire 185,700 Service 40 enhances rural bus service between Easingwold and York through the villages of Huby, Stillington and Sutton on Forest. Oxfordshire 93,693 Enhancement of service X40 linking three bus services to form a through route from RAF Benson to Reading via Wallingford. Peterborough 696,409 Local Link Plus. Improvements to existing service between City Centre and Eastern Industry, with extension to new major distribution centre and two major hospitals. Redcar and 131,556 This scheme enhances frequency of Cleveland service 81, between Redcar and Guisborough bringing improved access for residents of these towns and local villages. Southampton 422,545 Enhancement U1 air-coach-ferry-link to cope with increased passeneger demand. South Yorkshire 465,000 Better Buses between Barnsley & Penistone. will enhance the local network and serving several rural communities en route., Suffolk 163,872 Service 55 Blakenham Park to Ipswich will provide a new bus service linking a major residential development with Ipswich Town Centre, Station, retail and employment area. Stockton-on-Tees 721,464 MIBus will be a high quality service linking Stockton Town Centre to Ingleby Barwick using the new South Stockton Link Road. Surrey 240,000 Services 4/5. Enhancement to existing well-established services, between Farnham and Aldershot. Tyne & Wear 518,515 135/136 Cross Wear Service. The service envisages increased frequencies and partial re-routing of services 135 and 136, which operate across a wide area of inner-city Sunderland. 336,256 Gateshead Orbital. The scheme will double the frequency of an orbital route connecting Gateshead's major hospital with a wide area of the town. 565,000 X47. A new bus service providing frequent links between Kingston Park, and central Newcastle upon Tyne. Torbay 589,000 South Devon College & Western corridor. New and enhanced services giving access to the new South Devon College for 9,500 students and staff, and local residents. Warwickshire 445,449 Service 767. A new bus service between Tamworth and Birmingham International Airport (BIA)/NEC via Kingsbury, Coleshill, Coleshill Interchange rail station. West Sussex 540,000 Worthing direct. Introduction of high frequency Monday to Saturday cross town service in the Worthing urban area West Yorkshire 81,140 Orange line to Morrisons. Extends existing high frequency bus service to serve the new Morrison's PLC Head Office in Bradford. 280,386 Holme Valley Raillink will connect Holmfirth and the Holme Valley to the rail network by providing a frequent bus service to Huddersfield Rail Station. Wiltshire 319,000 Service 55 will expand and market extensively a key county route between Chippenham and Swindon. Worcestershire 161,385 Making the connection is designed to improve passenger transport access to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital from the Malvern-Worcester Corridor TOTAL 19,859,264
Client ref 109
GNN ref 123630P
