Surrey County Council given £12m to improve bus services

Surrey is to receive £12m from the Department for Transport to spend on improving the county's bus services.

The money is likely to be used to generate more frequent buses on popular routes, protect services in rural areas and improve punctuality, Surrey County Council said.

It forms part of about £1bn government funding which is being invested in services across England, outside of London.

The council said 26 million journeys were made by bus in Surrey in 2023.

Matt Furniss, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and growth at the council, said: "I'm delighted that Surrey will benefit from this essential funding which will help us to build upon our own significant investment and encourage more people to take the bus."

He said the council has recently added 54 new zero emission buses to its fleet, and invested £6.3m in more ultra-low and zero emission community transport minibuses.

The council has also spent £9m on bus priority measures and £1.4m in improving information for passengers at bus stops, he said.

Residents are offered a Surrey LINK card, which gives young people half price travel, as well as a Surrey Connect bus service, for areas with limited fixed bus routes.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the investment was to "keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services".

The government recently announced the single bus fare cap in England will increase from £2 to £3 .