New figures show that recently improved Derbyshire bus services, under the County Council’s £47 million Bus Service Improvement Plan, are proving popular with passengers.
Some of the bus services have had their routes extended to additional places, while others had services extended into the evenings or at weekends or increased from one bus an hour to two.
Information released by Derbyshire County Council covers eight services. Amongst them, the Ilkeston Flyer, running between Derby and Cotmanhay showed a 9% increase, whilst the my15 between Ilkeston and East Midlands Airport showed a 12% increase.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, Councillor Charlotte Cupit, said: “I’m pleased to see that the investment in these services is already proving positive for passengers in our area, and that they are being used by so many more people.
“We were awarded £47m from the Government to improve bus services in Derbyshire, and these additional services are among a range of different initiatives we’re continuing to work to do just that.
“More improvements are coming soon, and we hope that they will be just as popular as the ones we have already put in place.
“We’re continuing the work to make travelling by bus an attractive option, with particular focus on reliability and affordability.
”I’d encourage everyone to try the bus, with fares for adults at just £2 for a single trip, and £1.50 for most routes for 11 to 18 year olds with a b_line card it really does offer a great way to get around.”
The extra services are being paid for by Government funding. £47m was awarded to Derbyshire County Council to improve bus services in the county. The council is working with all bus operators in the council to deliver a comprehensive set of actions over the coming years.