The Scottish Government has allocated a further £200,000 from the Bus Partnership Fund to the North East of Scotland Bus Alliance (NESBA), where it will go towards priority measures on three streets in Aberdeen city centre.
That work will involve bus lanes and bus gates. It is expected to be complete by the end of the summer and will coincide with other improvements in the city, which are funded by Aberdeen City Council (ACC) and the Scottish Government as part of ACC’s City Centre Masterplan to benefit “many bus passengers.”
The modest award came only days after Transform Scotland again criticised the Scottish Government for the slow manner in which Bus Partnership Fund money is being distributed. The sustainable transport alliance believes that only around £36 million of the £500 million allocated to the Fund has yet been allocated or spent.
In addition to the scheduled priority works in Aberdeen, the Bus Partnership Fund is already supporting the development of the proposed Aberdeen Rapid Transit system in the region, including bus priority on associated transport corridors.
NESBA is made up of operators, stakeholders, local authorities and transport partnership NESTRANS. Independent Chair Robert Andrew has welcomed the latest money. He says: “Investing in infrastructure for efficient and reliable bus services is critical for quality public transport.
“These improvements, enabled by the Bus Partnership Fund, will soon be making a tangible impact for bus passengers, alongside ongoing improvements to the wider bus network and supporting the development of Aberdeen Rapid Transit.”
The Alliance was previously awarded £12 million from the Bus Partnership Fund in 2021. £2 million of that money was allocated to developing proposals for Aberdeen Rapid Transit, with the remainder going to the associated bus priority work.
Aberdeen Rapid Transit plans call for cross-city bus routes with a high degree of priority, with an artist’s impression suggesting operation with tram-like articulated single-deckers. NESTRANS has cited bus rapid transit projects in Belfast, Birmingham and Bristol as examples of how the concept can function.
Transport Scotland opened the Bus Partnership Fund in 2020, after having announced the previous year that over £500 million would go towards bus priority measures.
In confirming the latest money for NESBA, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition Mairi McAllan says that she wants to see “similar transformational investment right across the country through our Bus Partnership Fund.”
