Thursday 12th June 2025 I’ve been back on the DRT trail again, this time in Portsmouth, trying out the latest scheme which hit the road at the end of last month. Branded Pompey Link, it’s funded for an initial 10 months by Portsmouth City Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan with hopes for an extension into... Continue Reading →
Norfolk’s BSIP: A Model of Success
Saturday 27th July 2024 Norfolk is typical of a number of 'shire counties' embracing the opportunities presented by Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding in England. It doesn't have a high profile directly elected Mayor continually courting media coverage to spout the mantra about "taking back control". Instead, experienced and dedicated staff at the Council... Continue Reading →
AIRLINK takes off at Newcastle Airport
Thursday 13th June 2024 Another interesting new bus service I took a look at on my travels last week is Arriva North East’s AIRLINK Northumberland branded route 777 providing an hourly direct link between Morpeth, Ponteland and Newcastle Airport before continuing to the Kingston Park shopping centre on the outskirts of Newcastle. It was introduced... Continue Reading →
Two new half hourly bus routes
Tuesday 20th February 2024 Department for Transport funded Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) have helped launch a number of new bus route initiatives around the country. I’ve recently caught up with Hertfordshire’s latest addition to the network as well as a new arrival in West Sussex. As reported in recent blogs, Hertfordshire has been introducing... Continue Reading →
Living the rural bus dream in East Sussex
Tuesday 25th July 2023 When it comes to DfT's funding allocations to local authorities for Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) the difference between the Winners and the Losers is certainly starting to show around the country. The Guardian - Wednesday 19th July 2023 As those that lost out in the postcode funding lottery struggle to... Continue Reading →
Three bus journeys in East Devon
Sunday 11th June 2023 After my Exmoor Coaster bus ride last Monday, described in yesterday’s blog, I turned my attention to East Devon for three more interesting bus journeys on Tuesday. First up was new route X30 introduced on 3rd April thanks to Devon County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan funded by the DfT. Operated... Continue Reading →
Leighton Buzzard’s bus makeover and it’s free till Christmas
Saturday 13th May 2023 I thought it would be nice to report on a positive Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) development so took a trip to Leighton Buzzard on Thursday to sample Arriva’s brand new bus network introduced on Tuesday in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council. Central Beds got awarded £3.7 million for its BSIP;... Continue Reading →
East Sussex joins the DRT club
Thursday 11th May 2023 Not to be left out of the firmly rolling bandwagon of local authorities expending vast sums of public money from Government on Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), East Sussex County Council joined in the fun on Tuesday with a “soft launch” of five of ten designated zones covering the entire county. The... Continue Reading →
