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LGA responds to bus services announcement
Cllr Darren Rodwell, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, responded to a Department for Transport announcement that a £170 million fund is being allocated to improve bus services and make journeys greener
“It is good that the Government recognises the importance of buses in connecting communities with each other and helping them to access local services.
“Local bus services can be a lifeline to older and vulnerable residents and can also play a key role in tackling congestion and reducing greenhouse gases.
“This funding is a step in the right direction. We would urge the Government to go further in the forthcoming Budget, and plug the £700 million annual funding gap councils face in providing the concessionary fares scheme, which would help to protect local routes and reverse the decline in bus services.
“This gap is forcing many councils to increasingly have to divert funding from discretionary routes and services to prop up the statutory scheme.”
Britain’s first all-electric bus town to pave the way for green communities of the future
