Lancashire gets more than £35m to improve bus services but public control question remains

Lancashire is to get more than £35m to strengthen bus services in the county.

The cash is part of the latest round of funding announced by the government to enable local areas to deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs).

The strategies set for Lancashire have already attracted millions of pounds in support from the Department for Transport since they were first drawn up in 2022.

However, one senior Preston councillor is calling for an end to profit-making on the city’s buses and for them to be brought under public control.

The BSIP money invested so far has been used to fund initiatives including ticket deals and more frequent services designed to tempt people on board.

Now, Lancashire County Council has been allocated a further £25.3m for 2025/26, split almost equally between cash that can be used on day-to-day operations and that which is reserved for investment in bus transport infrastructure. It will also get almost £1.9m in Bus Service Operator Grant funding – essentially, a fuel duty rebate for services the authority subsidises itself.

County Hall has already received nearly £42m in BSIP cash for the strategy it developed in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council. The latter authority’s 2025/26 share of the new money to be distributed by the government comes to just over £5m.

Meanwhile, Blackpool is in line for almost £4.2m from the BISP fund this time around.

While welcoming the extra cash, Martyn Rawlinson, the deputy leader of Preston City Council, said he believed buses needed to be taken out of private hands in order for them to be viable in the longer term.

“The government have announced significant investment in buses this week so hopefully services will improve.

“However, as the Preston Model council, we do believe vital infrastructure is better under public control and not run for profit. Public transport is too important to leave in the hands of profiteers in terms of both local economies and climate change.

“Bus services improvements must be significant and sustainable for the sake of the people who rely on them,” Cllr Rawlinson said.

The last government did introduce a franchising model under which local authorities with transport powers can take control of routes and timetables. That mode of operation would be an option for Lancashire under its recently-approved devolution deal, but would need a further green light from ministers.

At a meeting of the county council’s economic growth and transport scrutiny committee in September, members representing rural areas pressed for a larger share of BSIP benefits for their communities.

Matthew Moll, the authority’s enhanced bus partnership manager, said the ambition if more funding was to arrive would be to have “at least a two-hour[ly] service” on existing rural routes – and also to explore the possibility of filling “gaps in the network”.

He added that the BSIP cash was serving to “kick-start” some routes that would ultimately become commercially viable – eventually enabling that financial support to be transferred to services that would never turn a profit, such as those needed in more isolated areas.

However, head of service Andrew Varley warned it would still be a matter of setting “priorities” – particularly when it came to off-peak services like those operating on a Sunday.

Responding to the new funding set out by the government, Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways and transport at the county council – the transport authority for all parts of Lancashire except Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen – said County Hall’s bus service improvement plan “is already making a huge difference”.

“This additional funding will enable us to further enhance bus services across the county.

“We understand how important it is for all residents to have access to frequent, reliable and affordable transport that they can rely on for travel to work, access to healthcare and days out.

“We’ll be working closely with local communities and stakeholders as we develop plans to ensure that the improvements reflect the needs of residents.

“We’re optimistic about the future of bus travel and excited about the opportunities we now have to create a more connected and sustainable future for public transport in Lancashire.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Quesir Mahmood, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive member for growth and development, said: “We welcome the £5m investment from the government and their commitment to improving public transport across Blackburn and Darwen. Bus travel is by far the most popular form of public transport in the UK and with this injection of cash we will be able to make improvements across the network which will benefit our residents and visitors who use these vital public services.”

Blackpool Council, which already operates its own buses via Blackpool Transport, was approached for comment.

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