Bus services in Gedling borough that are struggling to recover from a slump in passenger numbers will be propped up by a Government grant.
Nottingham City Council says some routes are not being used enough to make them profitable, partly because journeys have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The council has released a list of borough services which will benefit.
The council is being given £11.4 million to help keep them going and also build new bus lanes and other public transport infrastructure.
The Labour-run authority says the funding “provides a welcome boost as the public transport network continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic”.
The council is expected to accept the funding and discuss how it will be spent next week.
In a report released ahead of a meeting on the spending, the council adds: “In addition to the investment in new bus infrastructure, a number of bus services that are at risk of withdrawal will be supported and enhanced to maintain attractive levels of frequency, open up new connectivity and return to higher levels of commerciality as new travel and work patterns continue to stabilise and consolidate as part of the recovery from the impact of the pandemic.”
The grant money will come from the Government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which aims to make bus services across the country more efficient and sustainable.
In 2020 the Department for Transport asked local authorities to draw up a BSIP and a number were then selected to receive grant money.
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire were two of 31 successful local authorities, with the former receiving £11.4 and the latter £18.7m.
The city council report says: “It will help the network realign to the new levels of bus patronage which are currently in the region of 80 to 85 per cent of the level of bus use before the pandemic hit and grow patronage going forward.”
The grant money will be accepted during a meeting of executive councillors on Tuesday next week (October 18).
The services which will be supported or enhanced include;
- NCT 39, Carlton Valley to City: This service will receive interim support, in order that the current frequency can be retained for an area where passenger numbers are expected to grow back to previous levels over time. Residents in Thorneywood Mount and Gordon Road rely on this service.
- NCT 50, Victoria Retail Park, A612, Racecourse P&R to City: Service links expanding Waterside area of Nottingham with the city centre. Service enhancement to provide evening and Sunday services to growing Waterside area.
- NCT 53, Clifton to Arnold via Basford, Radford and main hospitals: This is the main ring road service, allowing orbital journeys to take place to key destinations. The route provides some key links within Clifton Estate and the Whitemoor and Valley Road areas that would not otherwise be served. It also provides links for school children at those times of day. This service is already providing additional links within Clifton, at Lark Hill, Summerwood Lane and the Sunninghill Drive area. Additional funding is currently required to support this service.
- NCT 56/57/59, Arnold to City via Plains Estate: This service will receive interim support, in order that the current frequency can be retained for an area where passenger numbers are expected to grow back to previous levels over time. The service provides secondary links away from the main road to housing estates east of the A60.
