The UK Government has just launched a new national bus strategy for England entitled Bus Back Better. The Government’s believes ‘buses are the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to improve transport”. This national Bus Strategy is backed by £3 billion of new funding and forms a key plank in the Government’s twin agenda of “Levelling Up” and “ensuring the economy meets Net Zero carbon emissions” Bridgwater Transport Forum Chair, Cllr Glen Burrows (Eastover) says: ” At the next meeting of Bridgwater Transport Forum, on 11th May, we’ll discuss proposals for improvements to local bus services. We need to ensure that Somerset County Council incorporates the views of local transport users into its strategy.”
Tony Reese, Co-Chair of Somerset Bus Partnership, commented “This new national bus strategy and its extra funding gives us in Somerset the chance to deliver major improvements in the County’s bus services. Somerset now needs to seize this unique opportunity.”
The newly formed Somerset Bus Partnership is supported both by councillors and by bus user groups across Somerset and it will seek to work with local town and parish councils and with Somerset County Council to input into a Bus Enhancement Partnership for Somerset that incorporates both what current bus users need and take steps to facilitate more Somerset residents to switch from using private cars to travel by bus.
Levelling up and Green agendas
At 10 journeys per resident, Somerset currently has the fourth lowest bus passenger journeys per population in England. It is the lowest in the South West. Bus passenger journeys in Somerset have decreased by more than some 40% over the past decade.
Said Peter Travis, Co-Chair of Somerset Buys Partnership, “The new Bus Strategy provides the funding to reverse this decline in passenger numbers in Somerset and see Somerset playing its part in the Government’s levelling up and green agendas by launching a Bus Enhancement Initiative for Somerset. Somerset needs to commit to this initiative by June 2021.”
We will be following up by trying to raise awareness of the existence of this new strategy, and soliciting involvement of everyone in Somerset who is keen to see improvements, so that we can BUS BACK BETTER
The National Bus Strategy is online at
For further information:
Contact one of the four co-chairs of Somerset Bus Partnership:
Tony Reese (South Somerset) 07967 947335 tony.reese@mail.com
Peter Travis (Mendip) peter_b_travis@hotmail.com
Glen Burrows (Sedgemoor) burrowsg71@gmail.com
James Hassall (Somerset West and Taunton) hassalls53@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/Somerset-Bus-Partnership-105704811629827
@somersetbuspart