The Government has announced Oxfordshire is one of the areas which will receive funding to boost bus services.

31 areas across England were awarded money under the latest of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme.

Oxfordshire has secured £12.7million. 

In October of last year, the county council submitted a bid to secure £56 million from the government’s £3 billion National Bus Strategy fund.

The council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which the public was invited to contribute to, was submitted to the Government as part of the bid.

The funding is conditional on the submission and implementation of an Enhanced Partnership between the county council and the bus operators in Oxfordshire.

The ambitions for the buses cover:

  • new bus priority measures to speed up journeys
  • more attractive fares and ticketing, including a review of fares for under 19s and potential discounts for lower-wage NHS employees
  • vehicles that are more comfortable and greener
  • improved information for passengers
  • better bus stop infrastructure
  • creating mobility hubs at key locations to provide better interchange between different modes of transport
  • new rural bus routes
  • the restoration of some cross-boundary bus services to neighbouring counties.

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “In the context of a significantly reduced funding allocation throughout the country, with only 40 per cent of BSIPs receiving any money at this stage, this represents a significant boost for bus users in Oxfordshire.

“It is welcome confirmation from the Government that our approach to prioritise public transport is the right one. Combined with our successful ZEBRA bid for a new fleet of electric vehicles announced last week, we are on a positive path to making bus travel more attractive and environmentally friendly than ever before.

“The Council will consider yesterday’s announcement and subsequent correspondence with the Department for Transport on any conditions attached to the funding before we take any proposals forward.”

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