WCC’s Cabinet has approved significant funding to enhance bus services, following the allocation of £8.76 million in grant funding from the Department for Transport for 2025/26 - 2026/27.
This substantial investment will support the continued delivery of the Warwickshire Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and the Warwickshire Enhanced Partnership (EP) Scheme and will be directed towards a range of prioritised measures, including:
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Transformational measures such as bus priority, real time information, improved ticketing (including a pilot multi-operator smartcard scheme), which aim to reduce bus journey times and improve passenger confidence in using bus services.
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Mitigation against high-priority reductions to bus service provision.
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Bus service enhancements.
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Increased investment in bus stop improvements on several key routes across the county as part of a Quality Bus Corridor initiative.
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Marketing communications, including promotion of the current £3 national bus fare cap scheme.
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Scheme development costs focused on prioritised bus measures supporting proposed town centre regeneration schemes in Nuneaton, Leamington, and Rugby.
The approved programme of capital and revenue measures for 2025/26 - 2026/27 totals £12.262 million, fully funded by external grants awarded by the DfT over a three-year period (2023-24 to 2025-26).
This includes £5.935 million in BSIP Capital Funding for 2025/26 - 2026/27, which incorporates a reallocation of £2.273 million from previous revenue grant underspends to boost bus stop improvements.
Cllr George Finch, interim leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “We are delighted to secure this significant funding from the Department for Transport, which underscores our commitment to delivering a modern, reliable, and accessible bus network for Warwickshire.
“This investment will enable us to continue improving bus infrastructure, enhance services, and encourage more people to choose sustainable travel options. We’ve been proactive in addressing challenges by reallocating funds to critical capital projects, ensuring every penny works hard for our residents.”
The DfT has termed the 2025-26 allocation a 'Bus Grant', comprising four distinct funding streams:
BSIP Revenue Funding: £4,336,627
BSIP Capital Funding: £3,662,611 (which has increased to £5,935,172)
Local Authority - Bus Service Operators Grant (Revenue): £669,113
BSIP Capacity and Capability Allocation: £94,000
The total bus passenger journeys on the Warwickshire network in 2023-24 increased by 2.13% to 9.6 million, demonstrating a positive trend towards recovery from pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels. The investment in bus infrastructure such as bus priority at traffic signal-controlled junctions, real-time information, and a pilot smartcard scheme enabling seamless travel between bus services run by different operators, is anticipated to further increase bus patronage, contributing to environmental and social benefits like improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions.
Cabinet also approved the continuation of the cross-party working group, established in July 2021, to support the Council in working with bus operators to deliver the vision and aspirations of the Warwickshire BSIP.
Implementation of the measures outlined in the Warwickshire Bus Service Improvement Delivery Plan 2025-26 will commence in Summer 2025.
The Cabinet report for this item can be found here: https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/s44517/Warwickshire%20Bus%20Service%20Improvement%20Plan%20BSIP%20-%20Capital%20Funding%20for%202025-26.pdf