Bus passengers to benefit from multi-million pound investment

This latest investment is part of the government’s plan to improve local transport in the West Midlands, growing the local economy.

Staffordshire is in line for 17 new zero-emission buses thanks to £3.1 million of government funding for Staffordshire County Council.

Today, the authority is one of 25 across the country to receive a share of funding totalling £143m to bring almost a thousand new zero-emission buses into service.

As well as helping to decarbonise the existing fleet of buses in the area and protect the environment, the modern buses will increase reliability and dependability for all bus users.

It is the second round of funding as part of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) plan, with rural areas being prioritised, and means total government support for zero emission buses across country now stands at £413m.

It follows a number of schemes to protect and improve bus services across the country, with the government investing £3.5bn since 2020.

Thanks to reallocated HS2 funding, the £2 bus fare cap has been extended until the end of 2024, with the north and midlands also benefitting from a further £1bn increase to improve bus services.

The new zero-emission buses will also drive on smoother roads thanks to £8.3 billion, enough to resurface over 5,000 miles of roads in England over the next decade - the biggest ever funding boost to improve local roads, all thanks to reallocated HS2 funding.

A senior Conservative source said: “We know how important local bus services are to passengers across the country, and we are doing what we can to ensure they are being maintained and improved.

“These new buses are part of our plan to improve local transport and should make journeys far more comfortable and efficient for passengers as well as helping the environment."