Grants awarded to make buses more attractive form of transport

Funding of up to £23.6m has been awarded by the Scottish Government to make bus services a more attractive form of transport.

The money will go to local councils to make temporary measures such as bus lanes and traffic light prioritisation permanent.

The Scottish Government says it expects councils to help make public transport quicker, more reliable and more appealing as an alternative to the car.

The fund will also help bus operators and transport authorities develop new bus priority schemes to beat congestion.

Transport minister Graeme Dey said: “I’m really pleased to announce the first awards from our bus partnership fund as we work hard to secure Scotland’s green recovery from Covid-19.

“We continue to provide significant amounts of emergency funding to enable bus operators to continue to run services through the pandemic, but it’s equally important that we look to the future and the vital role investment of this kind will have in our response to the climate emergency.

“Each of the partnerships awarded funding are focused on delivering outcomes for bus users and the environment, and I now need them to step up and channel that ambition into matching our investment in kind, to place bus priority at the heart of our sustainable transport future and provide that positive alternative that will mean people use their cars less.

“Only then can we achieve our world-leading climate goals.”

A total of 27 local authorities are included in the eight partnerships which have been awarded the latest round of funding.