County-wide plans to spend a government grant will include improvements to Lancaster city centre bus services, it has been announced.
A £27.1m fund to boost bus services across Lancashire will include investment in improving the public transport network in Lancaster, said Lancashire County Council.
The county council has also announced that its evening and Sunday fare offers will carry on until December 31, when the government's national £3 cap on single bus fares is due to end.
The low fares for evening and weekend travel on most Lancashire bus services, includes single ticket bus journeys for £1 after 7pm and also all day on Sundays and Bank holidays.
Lancashire County Council's cabinet agreed to accept a government grant of £27,140,451 for 2025/26, at a meeting on March 6.
It is part of a national £1bn Bus Grant funding boost, which aims to improve and develop bus services.
The agreement is subject to the new Lancashire Combined County Authority delegating the grant to the council.
The breakdown of this funding is:
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Revenue: £12,712,250
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Capital: £12,436,932
- Bus Service Improvement Plan Capacity and Capability (C&C): £125,000
- Local Authority Bus Services Operators Grant (LA BSOG): £1,866,269
Councillor Scott Smith, Conservative, and lead member for Highways and Transport, said: "We have secured one of the largest sums in the country to improve and develop our bus services.
"Important areas of improvement include the implementation of bus priority measures to enhance service reliability, upgrades to bus stops to improve passenger experience, and initiatives to enhance information and publicity.
"We will be helping to improve the bus fleet in Lancashire, including supporting bus operators to purchase Zero Emission Vehicles, contributing to environmental sustainability goals.
"Funding will be used to introduce new and enhanced bus services, ensuring a more comprehensive and reliable network alongside supporting services at potential threat of withdrawal. It will also support longer-term network development planning, aiming to create a more efficient and user-friendly bus system.
"Simplifying or reducing fares is another priority, making bus travel more affordable for passengers. This will be done by the continuation of the evening and Sunday fare offer, until 31 December 2025 when the national £3 fare cap is due to end, as well as expanding the Anybus multi-operator ticket to more areas of the county.
"We will also be improving safety and security on buses, enhancing accessibility and information for passengers. We will be able to continue bus stop upgrades including accessibility, new shelters and Real Time Passenger Information.
"We will be working with our District Council colleagues by providing investment for improvements to the public transport network in Lancaster city centre and in West Lancashire, alongside bus station improvements in Cleveleys as part of wider town centre developments.
"We will also be able to develop proposals for a bus lane on Liverpool Road between Penwortham Triangle and Fishergate Hill, to tie in with A582 highway-related work."
A spokesperson for Lancashire Labour said: "This major investment, from the Labour Government, will help improve services, upgrade infrastructure, and support local transport networks across Lancashire.
"Better buses mean better connections, stronger communities, and a greener future!"
The Conservative-led county council cabinet agreed on March 6 that: "The high-level spending plan for Bus Grant in 2025/26 including Bus Service Improvement Plan revenue and capital funding, subject to Lancashire Combined County Authority decision making to delegate the grant to the Council, be approved...and the Director of Highways and Transport be authorised, in consultation with the county council's Section 151 officer and the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to submit a delivery plan to the Department for Transport by 31 March 2025."
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