The Plan focuses on improvements to local bus services, including:
• more frequent bus services
• early morning and evening services
• bus priority measures to speed up buses that are delayed by traffic congestion
• de-carbonising Hampshire’s bus fleet
• developing more Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes
• improved bus stations, interchange facilities at rail stations, and investment in better waiting environments at bus stops
• new ways to meet the public transport needs of rural areas that are affordable and financially sustainable
Commenting, Councillor Nick Adams-King, Leader of the County Council and Executive Member for Hampshire 2050 and Corporate Services said: “Our ambition is to have a high quality, efficient and dependable network of bus services across the county. But with Hampshire's finances under significant strain, Government funding, money from developers and investment by bus operators is absolutely crucial to our ability to link communities and improve connections to essential services.
“Our investment plans for the coming year, based on strict criteria set out by Government, contain a range of proposed measures that all contribute towards our priorities for bus travel: improvements to the frequency of bus services, the waiting environment, passenger information and safety, security, as well as seeking to meet the travel needs of rural areas. These were agreed in the Hampshire Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
He added: “It’s important to also note, with finite funds at our disposal, we cannot subsidise services that have no prospect of being commercially viable. The Authority is therefore committed to ensuring that the funding is focused on routes which offer strong potential for growth rather than on services which, once the one-off funding has been spent, may require ongoing funding to sustain themselves - regrettably this is money that we simply do not have.”
Specifically, the 2025/26 funding will support:
• a bus priority scheme on Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh
• bus infrastructure improvements at Sixth Form Colleges
• safety and security measures in bus shelters, such as lighting improvements and CCTV
• real-time and on-bus passenger information improvements
• a fund for rural bus shelters - for town/parish councils to use
• community self-help schemes, such as contributions towards vehicle costs
• support for commercial bus services, including service enhancements
• help with the impact of high bus industry inflation relating to services for rural areas
• bus stop information initiatives
• Disability related initiatives
Councillor Adams-King added: “While we have set an ambitious plan, we want also to encourage those who don’t regularly use a bus to ‘get on board’ and help keep services running, particularly in rural areas. Increasing bus use locally will also help to tackle climate change by taking cars off the road, as well as potentially benefitting Hampshire’s local economy and people’s standard of living – as an improved transport network would make it easier for young people - Hampshire’s future workforce - to access education, training and employment opportunities."
Hampshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan was first developed in 2021 by Hampshire County Council, Stagecoach, First Bus and Go South Coast/Bluestar. The five-year plan for securing Government and private investment, over the next decade, to upgrade bus facilities, create bus priority lanes and enable timetables to be expanded with extra services – particularly in the evenings and on Sundays – is aimed at boosting bus use across the county.
An update to the plan was published in June 2024.