The Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Richard Holden, made a trip from Westminster to Stoke-on-Trent to sit down with local leaders to discuss the city’s bus network.
The roundtable was attended by Stoke-on-Trent MPs, Jonathan Gullis and Jack Brereton, a representative from the office of Jo Gideon MP, representatives from Potteries bus services, the Director of Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Department for Transport officials.
The roundtable focused on the delivery of the landmark £31.7 million investment into local bus services and the Minister’s recent announcement of the extension of the £2 fair cap outside of London. They also discussed plans to improve local bus stops and the bus/gate bridge which opens up Eturia Valley to Stoke-on-Trent North.
This means that since 2019, Stoke-on-Trent has received over £30 million in funding for bus routes which will help reverse the dramatic decline in bus services since 2009-10, which have seen bus services halve. The data is based on how many miles each bus clocks up, which means that both the number of routes and the frequency of services has declined significantly.
Research from the Department for Transport which highlights that those on lower incomes typically take the bus three times more than those on higher incomes. As such, both MPs spoke strongly in favour of the plans during the Ministerial Statement in the House of Commons this afternoon.
The Government has set aside £200 million to continue capping single bus fares until the end of October 2023. This is in addition to a significant investment of £300 million to protect the most vital routes and services. Altogether, this takes the total Government investment for buses to more than £3.5 billion since March 2020.
Before leaving, the Minister also stopped at the new £43 million Eturia Valley Link Road to see the benefits of DfT and Stoke-on-Trent City Council investment. The new road links sites in the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, which has unlocked thousands of new jobs since opening.
Commenting, Jonathan Gullis said:
“Taking the bus is one of the most popular forms of transport. Whether its travelling to work or school, for many people, buses are part of everyday life.
I warmly welcome the Minister’s visit to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. We had constructive conversations and now I look forward to seeing the delivery of this investment being rolled out across Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke
Jack Brereton said:
“We’ve had issues, but I was pleasantly surprised by the attitude towards improving things and increasing services. We have a lot of investment coming in which will hopefully contribute to that revival of services we need to see.”
“Most of our city is single carriageway Victorian roads - we don’t have bus lanes all over the place meaning they can get around easily, so they get stuck behind all the other traffic.”
Jo Gideon said:
“We've made significant strides since my election in 2019, securing key funding including the £29 million from the Transforming Cities Fund for local bus and rail services, and an additional £31 million from the Bus Service Improvement Fund.
“I have always believed that the people of Stoke-on-Trent deserve public transport that is not only efficient and affordable but also operates seven days a week.
“Today's positive discussions have cemented my belief that we are steering our city towards a brighter future of improved public transportation.”