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12
Sept
New bus plan approved for York and North Yorkshire
A new plan to improve bus services in York and North Yorkshire has been agreed.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s cabinet voted yesterday (September 11) to adopt measures that it says will help make journeys cheaper and more reliable.
The combined authority is assuming control of transport from North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council as part of government devolution plans.
At yesterday's meeting, the cabinet agreed to adopt a bus service improvement plan, which transport authorities are obliged to produce setting out a vision for transforming local bus networks.
As part of the plan, the combined authority will explore initiatives including enhanced evening and Sunday services, better bus and rail connections and the development of new multi-day and visitor ticketing options.
David Skaith, the Labour mayor of York and North Yorkshire who chairs the combined authority, said:
This approved plan builds on our work with local councils and operators to deliver the improvements we all deserve.
It means better evening and weekend services, fairer fares, and seamless connections between our buses and trains.
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority's cabinet meeting on September 11, 2026.
The combined authority, which was created in December 2023, has been criticised for the speed at which has progressed on bus improvements.
A report ahead of the meeting noted the Department for Transport had threatened to withdraw funding unless it saw “substantial progress” on developing a bus service improvement plan by August 2026.
Cllr Paul Haslam, vice-chair of the combined authority’s overview and scrutiny committee, told the meeting he was “concerned at the haste” in which the plan had been produced, and he had expected to see more references to cross-town buses.
The combined authority also agreed to develop an enhanced partnership for buses, which is a legally binding agreement between a local transport authority and local bus operators explaining how they will work together to improve local bus services.
Graham Thomas, the combined authority’s bus services manager, said:
The report provides the strategic framework for better bus services, protects access to vital local government funding and lay the foundations for stronger partnership working across York and North Yorkshire.
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