£1.7m to increase bus services across Cumbria

Rural areas in South Cumbria will receive one point seven million pounds to fund new bus routes.Areas including Barrow and Ulverston will all have new daily services.

The aim is to better connect rural areas.

The Department for Transport has awarded Westmorland and Furness Council the cash from the Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus scheme to enhance services across the area.

Councillor Neil Hughes, cabinet member for transport and environmental services, said: “The £1.7 million funding awarded to our council, supports us in taking a significant step towards enhancing bus provision across Westmorland and Furness.

“Living in a rural area like ours, providing more frequent, enhanced services will open the door for our residents and visitors to choose bus as their preferred way to travel and create more enjoyable, sustainable journeys for all.

“It is the Council’s ambition to allocate the funding towards creating a network of well-supported bus services that moves us closer towards achieving our net-zero ambitions. We recognise that in order to do so, supported routes must meet the needs of communities and visitors across the area."

The money was originally meant to spent on the northern leg of HS2, which was cancelled in 2023 by the previous Government.