Hampshire BSIP+ Bus Service Enhancement Grant

About the grant

Hampshire County Council has been awarded BSIP+ funding by the Department for Transport (DfT), part of which will form two distinct grant streams available to Local bus operators running registered bus services within Hampshire. The two distinct grant streams are to:

1. Pump prime service enhancements to the commercial bus network
This stream will support operators to enhance existing services either via an increase to service frequency, a greater number of operational days (e.g. Sunday services) or increases to the length of the operating day (e.g. earlier morning or late evening services).  Operators could also apply for this grant funding to establish new services where there is a strong case to do so. The grant funding will provide the financial resource to establish service enhancements to generate passenger and revenue growth. In turn, the County Council expect operators to dedicate the necessary resources needed to sustain these enhancements beyond the initial period of pump prime funding.

2. Provide short-term financial support for services that were commercial prior to the pandemic but have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic passenger numbers
This stream will support operators to sustain services that, if given more time to re-establish passenger numbers, can reasonably expect to see return to commercial viability and avoid deregistration, with appropriate marketing and promotion support by the bus operator.

Who can apply

Local bus operators running bus services within Hampshire.

Pre-application process

Applicants must contact the Bus Strategy Team to discuss potential service enhancements before submitting an application, as the total grant available to each individual Local Bus Operator is governed by the % of Hampshire network mileage operated and the % of passengers carried over a defined 12 month period. Please contact us at: [email protected] to arrange a discussion.

When and how to apply

To apply for either grant stream, operators will need to complete a grant application form and complete and submit a BSIP+ Bus Service Enhancement Grant Application dataset spreadsheet to [email protected]. We will be unable to process your application without this form.

Bus Operators BSIP+ Grant Application Form

BSIP+ Bus Service Enhancement Grant Application dataset spreadsheet (blank template)

The dataset spreadsheet consists of 6 tabs:

Tab 1 – Instructions for completing pump prime enhancements data sheet (guidance only)

Tab 2 – Pump Priming Enhancements (to be completed by bus operator if applying for grant stream 1 ‘Pump prime service enhancements to the commercial bus network’)

Tab 3 - Pump Priming Enhancements Reserve Service (to be completed by bus operator if applying for grant stream 1 ‘Pump prime service enhancements to the commercial bus network’)

Tab 4 – Instructions for completing commercial support data sheet (guidance only)

Tab 5 – Commercial Support (to be completed by bus operator if applying for grant stream 2 ‘Provide short-term financial support for services that were commercial prior to the pandemic but have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic passenger numbers’)

Tab 6 - Commercial Support Reserve Services (to be completed by bus operator if applying for grant stream 2 ‘Provide short-term financial support for services that were commercial prior to the pandemic but have not fully recovered to pre-pandemic passenger numbers’)

Please ensure when completing the Bus Operators BSIP+ Grant Application dataset spreadsheet that you provide the name of your organisation at the top of the relevant tab(s).

This grant stream will be open from Tuesday 16 January 2024.

Contact us

For more information or an informal discussion please email the team at [email protected].