East Riding Will Receive £1.946m In New Bus Funding

Government funding has given a boost to bus services in the East Riding. 

A total of £150m worth of funding has been announced for councils in the North and Midlands, including £1.946m for East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 

In addition, bus passengers in the area will benefit from the extension of the Get Around For £2 discount scheme until December 2024. 

For just £2, people can travel anywhere in the East Riding – and beyond. 

As part of the government’s effort to combat rising costs of living and stimulate bus travel following the pandemic, the government introduced the cap on bus fares in January. It aims to encourage more families to use buses for regular trips and family days out in an effort to reduce costs of living. 

Ben Gilligan, Managing Director of East Yorkshire Buses, part of the Go-Ahead Group said:

“We welcome the Government’s ongoing investment in the bus industry in addition to funding already allocated earlier this year. This funding is already being used to good effect – expanding services that support Yorkshire’s night-time and weekend economy.

“Communities rely on buses and with the £2 fare cap being extended this will encourage more people to switch from cars to public transport.”

East Riding of Yorkshire Council introduced six new bus services in November as part of a range of bus improvements earlier this month. 

In order to help local passengers and strengthen the network, evening and weekend bus services have been introduced. 

On 1 January 2023, the £2 bus fare cap was introduced across the UK, providing lower fares for millions of passengers. From June 2022 to June 2023, the Get Around for £2 scheme reduced bus fares by 7.4% outside London, with savings even higher in rural areas where fares dropped by almost 11%.

According to a recent DfT report, the scheme has encouraged people to get back on the bus, with almost half citing the fare cap as the main reason.