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18
May 2023
North Yorkshire buses 'would have failed' without government support, says transport chief
North Yorkshire’s transport chief has claimed bus services in the county “would have failed” without support from the council and government.
Cllr Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive councillor for highways at North Yorkshire Council, welcomed yesterday's latest support from the Department for Transport.
It extended a £2 cap on single bus fares to October. The cap will then rise to £2.50 until November 2024.
Cllr Duncan told councillors yesterday the council had encouraged smaller operators to sign up to the scheme.
It has also stepped in to provide funding to allow the 24 bus between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge to continue.
He added:
Read more:
- North Yorkshire transport boss warns bus network faces ‘really grave situation’
- 80 bus services in North Yorkshire under threat, says Harrogate district MP
- North Yorkshire Council to review bus services support, says transport chief
He added that the council did not intend to duplicate any marketing on the government’s £2 cap scheme in light of the recent extension.
The scheme is set to go-ahead in the Harrogate district with Harrogate Bus Company, DalesBus and Connexions confirming their intentions to extend to the cap.
It comes as Cllr Duncan said the council intends to carry out a review of how the council supports bus services in the future amid concerns over passenger numbers.
In a statement to a full council meeting, he said the number of people using bus services “remain key” to the networks’ viability.
Cllr Duncan previously warned that government cash “cannot continue in perpetuity” to fund services.
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