Surrey Awarded £12 Million for Bus Service Improvements

The Department for Transport is providing Surrey with £12 million designated for enhancing the county’s bus services. Surrey County Council indicated that this funding is expected to be utilized to increase the frequency of buses on popular routes, maintain services in rural areas, and improve punctuality. This sum is part of approximately £1 billion in government funding allocated for services across England, excluding London. The council reported that 26 million bus journeys were undertaken in Surrey in 2023. Matt Furniss, the council’s cabinet member for transport, infrastructure, and growth, commented: “I’m delighted that Surrey will benefit from this essential funding which will help us to build upon our own significant investment and encourage more people to take the bus.” He noted that the council has recently added 54 new zero-emission buses to its fleet and invested £6.3 million in additional ultra-low and zero-emission community transport minibuses. Furniss also stated that the council has spent £9 million on bus priority measures and £1.4 million on improving information for passengers at bus stops. Residents are offered a Surrey LINK card, which grants young people half-price travel, alongside a Surrey Connect bus service, catering to areas with limited fixed bus routes. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh affirmed that the investment aims to “keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services”. The government recently announced that the single bus fare cap in England will increase from £2 to £3.