Love Your Bus Grant Fund Information Hub

Welcome to the central resource for the Love Your Bus grant scheme. This page provides all the essential information, guidance, and tools to support Parish and Town Councils in Essex in applying for funding to enhance existing local bus services.

Following the success of the first round in 2024/25, the programme expanded significantly in 2025/26, with strong engagement from communities across Essex. This year saw a substantial increase in applications and a wide range of innovative proposals aimed at improving access, reliability, visibility, and local connectivity.

About the Grant

Love Your Bus is a community-led grant initiative launched by Essex County Council (ECC) and funded through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

This funding opportunity enables Parish and Town Councils in Essex to bid for support to grow and sustain their local bus routes. It encourages community-led action and partnerships with transport providers to improve bus services.

Programme Status

Round 1 (2024/25) launched in December 2024. All funded projects are now in delivery through 2025/2026.
Round 2 (2025/26) closed on 2 February 2026. Results have now been published.

Project Aims

The Love Your Bus Grant Fund aims to:

Support community-led initiatives to grow and sustain local bus routes
Enable stronger partnerships between communities and transport providers
Deliver locally tailored enhancements that reflect each community’s needs
Encourage innovative approaches that help increase bus patronage across Essex

Successes and Growth of the Programme

The Love Your Bus programme has seen significant growth and stronger community involvement from Round 1 to Round 2.

Round 1 Successes (2024/25)

8 projects were awarded funding in the first year.
This pilot phase helped shape a stronger, more community‑driven model for future rounds.
Councils reported improved local visibility of bus services and growing community‑operator collaboration.

Round 2 Expansion (2025/26)

23 projects have now been awarded funding, nearly triple the first round.
Higher participation reflected increased confidence from Parish and Town Councils in the scheme.
Applications showed greater innovation, more collaborative bids, and stronger alignment with local transport needs.

You can use the links below to view previous outcomes, learn more about how the scheme works, and explore the full list of funded projects for 2025/26.

Love Your Bus - Map of Funded Projects Across Essex

Map of Areas Receiving Love Your Bus 2 Funding

The Love Your Bus Information Hub will continue to be updated as funded projects move into delivery and as future rounds of the grant programme are announced.