Massive boost for Plymouth bus users announced

Plymouth has been given £4.5m from the Government to improve bus services. The cash is part of a wider £1bn funding package for councils across the country to invest in bus services and is designed to enhance popular routes, protect rural services and increase bus use for shopping, socialising, and commuting.

Moor View’s Labour MP Fred Thomas welcomed the windfall in Parliament and praised the Government for investing in Plymouth, its people, communities and buses. In the House of Commons, Mr Thomas said: “What a fantastic day for every person in Plymouth who uses the bus and we welcome, strongly, the secretary of state’s announcement of £4.5m being invested in our buses over the next couple of years. But the secretary of state said that this doesn’t just represent an investment in buses but also an investment in people and in communities, and that is fantastic to hear. And will she agree with me that this represents today the Labour Government investing in Plymouth?”

Louise Haigh, secretary of state for transport, answered Mr Thomas by saying: “I’m very grateful to confirm that we are investing in Plymouth and Plymouth’s people and Plymouth’s buses. Buses are an enormous engine of social justice because, as I said earlier, it is particularly the most deprived that rely on them the most and I’m afraid that is why they have been so badly neglected in this place for so long. But with this Labour Government that absolutely turns around and buses are my priority and this Labour Government’s priority.”

Labour said that under the previous Conservative Government, thousands of bus services in England were cut. The effects of that were felt in Plymouth under a Conservative administration when five routes were cut in 2022, Mr Thomas said.

Since then, he said, the Labour administration has managed to restore some of those routes and the newly announced additional funding will support further improvements to the city’s bus network. Mr Thomas said: “This news is incredibly welcome in Plymouth. There are many folks here who rely on our buses but under the previous government, and recent local Conservative administrations, we have suffered cuts to our services.

“This new funding will allow the council to invest in our buses and deliver better services for people in Plymouth. During the general election we promised that we would deliver better buses for every community, and this news just shows that we are already delivering on that promise.”

Mark Coker, Plymouth City Council ’s cabinet member for transport, said: “This is a very welcome announcement and shows how seriously this Labour Government takes investment in our bus network. I look forward to announcing in due course what specific improvements to our city’s bus services in 2025/6 this funding will enable.”

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