A few parish and town councils in Essex have secured funding to help increase the number of local residents using buses.
The Love Your Bus Grant is part of the BSIP+ (bus Service Improvement Plan) funding allocated to Essex County Council by the Department for Transport. To apply for the grant, , parish and town councils were asked to submit projects which would increase passenger numbers, improve service frequency and coverage, and attract new users.
Many of the successful schemes included collaborative suggestions, which include neighbouring councils working together to maximise the impact of bus services across communities.
The successful councils will each receive a share of the £500,000 [JF1] [LA2] fund to start implementing their projects.
Cllr Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport, said:
“Local bus services can provide a crucial link and method of transport for many people, particularly in rural areas. The Love Your Bus Grant is supporting local councils that want to strengthen the services in their areas and ensure residents are well served by their bus routes.
“I’d like to congratulate the successful councils and look forward to seeing the impact the funding will have in these communities.”
The successful councils are:
Sheering Parish Council
Ingatestone and Fryerning Parish Council
North Weald Bassett Parish Council
Woodham Walter Parish Council
Burnham-On-Crouch Town Council
Mayland Parish Council
High Easter Parish Council
Shalford Parish Council
Rayne Parish Council
Some examples of the projects that were submitted include:
Attracting new passengers through marketing, leaflets, timetables, maps, and/or community-led engagement events.
Service enhancements such as increasing bus service frequency during peak hours, introducing late-night or early-morning services, and/or creating new route extensions to connect underserved areas to key destinations.
Community engagement and promotions through targeted marketing campaigns, community-led engagement events, and/or school and community group partnerships.
Passenger experience improvements by providing information on bus routes and schedules using maps, leaflets, posters, and/or other accessible formats.
