More than £41million could be secured to improve East Sussex’s bus services

In a government funding announcement last week, East Sussex County Council was told it could be given up to £41.4m towards a range of projects set out in the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

While only an indicative amount at this stage, the council says it will be working with the Department for Transport on detailed proposals in the near future. 

Submitted to the government in October, the BSIP sets out a range of potential projects to improve services and bring bus use back up to pre-pandemic levels. 

Perhaps the biggest change proposed within the BSIP is the potential to replace many traditional bus routes with Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) schemes.

In simple terms, these DDRT schemes would see fixed bus routes replaced with routes which change day-to-day based on passengers booking pick ups and drop offs.

In total, the plan lays out proposals for 13 such schemes, which would cover the whole of the county apart from Eastbourne and Hastings (although both towns would be expected to have DDRT schemes operating within parts of them).

Many of the non-DDRT routes which remain could also see some significant changes, with the services to run more often and into the evenings in many cases.

These amended services would be expected to run at least hourly, which the council intends to be its new minimum standard. This minimum standard would include evening services as well.

Another major change proposed would be the introduction of a discount scheme for under-30s, similar to the older persons’ bus pass. This could see younger people pay an annual fee (between £250 to £350 depending on their age) for unlimited bus travel within the county.

The plan also proposes measures to make buses more punctual. As part of this, the plan would see the council invest in ‘bus priority’ works across the county, intended to make buses run more efficiently. These could include new bus lanes or traffic light priority works (where green lights favour buses) at key junctions.

On top of this, the plan lays out proposals for the council to create 11 ‘mobility hubs’ in towns across the county, which would act as interchanges both for buses and other forms of transport. 

These hubs would be in: Bexhill; Crowborough; Hailsham; Heathfield; Lewes; Newhaven; North Hailsham; Polegate; Rye; Seaford; and Uckfield.

As part of this, the council’s current plans to improve Uckfield Bus Station could be expanded.

The BSIP also sets out plans invest in bus stops and shelters, to make them more attractive and provide clearer information to passengers.

It is currently unclear which elements of the BSIP will see investment from the government funding, but more details are expected to follow in the coming months.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “We have received an indicative funding allocation of up to £41,415,025 for our  Bus Service Improvement Plan. 

“We are now working on detailed plans of how we plan to use the funding, which are required by the Department for Transport before any funding is confirmed.”

Several of the county’s politicians welcomed the announcement.

Wealden MP Nus Ghani said: “I am pleased that East Sussex is receiving £41.4m of new funding to transform local bus infrastructure. Bus services are a vital service for many Wealden residents and this investment will help connect communities in East Sussex and deliver better, more reliable and more frequent services across the region.”

Maria Caulfield, Lewes MP, added: “Bus networks form the spine of local transport networks – but for decades too many communities have been let down by poor bus infrastructure.

“That is why I am delighted East Sussex is receiving £41.4 million of new funding to boost our bus services – transforming our local transport network to deliver cheaper, more reliable and more frequent services for passengers.

“This will mean that passengers across East Sussex will get a better deal, with local transport network they can truly rely on.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Buses are the most popular way of getting around in this country – but for too long people outside of London have had a raw deal.

“The investment we’re making today to ramp up the bus revolution will drive down fares at a time when people’s finances are tight and help connect communities across England.”