The Scottish Government has launched its £5.75 million Community Bus Fund. It will support local transport authorities (LTAs) in Scotland to explore options for bus services set out in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, and to improve public transport in their respective areas.
Money is split into two parts. £5 million goes to capital funding and £750,000 to resource funding. The former has been allocated to LTAs on a per-capita basis built on levels of transport poverty. It is intended to support improvements to public transport in areas of rural deprivation. The largest beneficiary is Highland Council, with £547,000.
Resource funding is available upon application by LTAs. That element of the Community Bus Fund is part of what Transport Scotland calls “a pathfinder-style project” that aims to support those bodies in completing initial feasibility and preparatory work required for the 2019 Act.
That legislation enables the establishment of municipal bus companies and establishment of franchising schemes or Bus Service Improvement Partnerships.
“These pathfinder projects will provide valuable evidence of level of interest and identify need for support to complete preparatory work to allow [LTAs] to begin exploration of Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 powers,” Transport Scotland continues.
Resource funding will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with the expression of interest form noting that the work around it will help to provide evidence “of the need for potential future funding” if some LTAs are not in a position to apply for money in 2023/24.
Minister for Transport Fiona Hyslop describes the Community Bus Fund as “a great example of how partnership working can benefit people right across Scotland.”
It complements “our broader package of long-term investment in bus, including support for bus priority infrastructure and encouraging a shift to zero-emission buses, together with the enhanced suite of options for LTAs to improve services according to their local needs, including formal partnerships, franchising, and running their own bus services,” she adds.
“The importance of collaboration with local authorities and bus operators cannot be understated if we are to create services fit for the future and achieve our climate change ambitions.”
