Government grants windfall to help save 'essential' bus services in Milton Keynes

The government has today (Thursday) announced Milton Keynes City Council will be receiving funds to protect essential local bus services.

The council will be granted £654,193 for 2024 to 2025 as part of the Local Transport Authority Bus Service Improvement Plans Plus allocations.

This is part ofan £80 million announcement of funding across England to protect vital bus services and allow local authorities to make the improvements that would most benefit their communities.

And the news comes shortly after the council reveal seven more once-popular routes in MK are due to be scrapped by the operators – because not enough people are using them.

They urged people to get back on board buses to protect the services.

The government says local authorities can use the funding to improve local buses in several ways, such as by bringing in new services or routes, extending timetables through new morning or evening buses or making tickets cheaper through reduced fares for elderly or young people, depending on what will be most valuable in their local area.

The investment could also be used to protect hundreds of bus services with low passenger numbers so that people who rely on them for essential services can continue to access their local bus.

Iain Stewart, the MP for Milton Keynes South said: “I welcome the announcement that Milton Keynes will receive £654,193 from this Conservative Government.

“Buses are a lifeline for many of my constituents who rely on them to get to work, the shops and important appointments so it is right the government is providing funding to support local services.

“It is my hope that MK Council will use this money to protect our local bus routes and to improve bus reliability and punctuality.”

Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “This Conservative Government is providing an extra £654,193 to Milton Keynes City Council to protect our crucial bus services. I want to see this money used by the Council to keep bus services open and keep our communities connected. Keeping services going should be the priority and that's what this extra funding is for.”