Bus Recovery Grant support in England has been extended to the end of March 2023 after the Department for Transport (DfT) injected another £130m into the scheme.
The BRG was set up to support commercial bus operators in England due to the ongoing impacts of Covid-19 on their revenue from reduced patronage, and had previously been scheduled to end on 4th October this year.
DfT says the additional funding will help to protect bus services and routes, which are “particularly important to people facing pressures due to the rising cost of living.”
To claim you must be a public bus operator running commercial or community bus services in England outside of the London and Greater Manchester areas and currently be running at 90% or more of pre-pandemic mileage levels.
Also you need to be an authorised representative of an operator, such as a transport manager or director.
Sukky Choongh, Environmental Manager at SMMT, said: “The Bus recovery grant extension is a much welcome initiative and necessary to support bus operator recover from the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic which has had a devastating impact on bus services.
“Some regions have already reduced services limiting mobility for many so it is essential that operators are supported to increase patronage and provide a high class public transport service that centres around the bus.”
Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: “We welcome the government’s announcement of recovery funding to support bus services in local communities for a further six months.
“Today’s announcement will help bus operators and local authority partners to balance a network of reliable and affordable services in the short-term as bus networks adapt to new travel patterns.
“For the longer-term, we will continue to work closely with central government and local authorities to encourage existing and new passengers to get on board the country’s buses, ensuring they are provided the best possible services.”
