Government give £40 million boost to East Midlands Combined County Authority for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’s bus network

A £40million boost has been provided for the region’s public transport as part of the Government’s ‘Bus Revolution’.

East Midlands Combined County Authority has been awarded £40,580,499 to improve bus services in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, for the 2025-26 financial year.

It is a share of £81million of Government funding for the East Midlands as a whole, and further funding is being provided across all regions.

The allocations were confirmed yesterday (Monday, November 18) by transport secretary Louise Haigh, with areas which have been historically under-served particularly prioritised.

The funding aims to bring ‘London-style’ bus services to every part of the country in a ‘once-in-a-generation reform’.

The investment has been designated to enhance popular routes, protect rural services and increase bus use for shopping, socialising and commuting, as well as prevent service reductions on at-risk routes and improve punctuality.

Transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “The value of regular and reliable bus services cannot be understated.

“For far too long, the East Midlands has been suffering from unreliable services with buses hugely delayed, or not even turning up at all.

“This funding kickstarts the bus revolution to bring an end to the postcode lottery of bus services, drive economic growth and make sure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities.

“We’ve already committed over £150million to extend the bus fare cap and keep fares low and this nearly £1billion of further funding will mean local routes are protected, reliability is improved and the passenger is put first.”

The extended bus fare cap will now run until December 31, 2025, and ensure that the flat rate for journeys remains at £3, enabling savings of up to 80% on some routes.