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The West of England Enhanced Partnership centres around a legally binding agreement with bus operators in the region to provide better ticketing and passenger information, lower fares, investment in bus priority measures and new and improved services.
By creating an enhanced partnership, the region secures £105.5m from the Government to improve bus services across the area and improve key bus corridors in North Somerset, on top of the £48m already secured by North Somerset Council to improve bus travel in the region.
The funding means North Somerset and the West of England Combined Authority will be making changes to help buses get through traffic, so they run more reliably, improve the frequency of buses on well-used routes, and develop demand responsive transport to meet the needs of more rural communities.
Roads Minister Richard Holden said: “People up and down the country deserve a frequent, reliable, and affordable public transport system. That is why we have provided West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council with over £105 million to boost its bus services.
“Supporting the region to provide more frequent services is great for local residents, who will benefit and make the most of the fantastic work, business and leisure opportunities the West of England has to offer.”
Steve Hogg, Executive Member for Transport and Highways at North Somerset Council, said: “The Enhanced Partnership (EP) is a key part of the future improvement plans for bus services in North Somerset, and regionally. It’s a mutually binding document that sets out several service commitments that North Somerset Council, WECA and bus operators will sign up to."
“The EP aims to deliver positive outcomes for residents and the wider economy, and I’m delighted this has now been agreed by North Somerset with our regional colleagues.”
The Enhanced Partnership agreement will be updated regularly to reflect progress in delivering the improvement programme, securing additional commitments from bus operators.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “This is a positive step on the road to give residents the local public transport services they need and deserve. I've already announced plans for more frequent and reliable buses using the cash my West of England Combined Authority secured from government. And as we train up more drivers, I want to go even further so we can get as many people as possible out of cars and into public transport - key to meeting our ambitious net-zero targets.”