Council plans to push for half-hourly buses

Herefordshire Council said it had an "aspiration" for better links between Hereford and five market towns

Some bus services in Herefordshire could be made more frequent and speedier under new council proposals.

Herefordshire Council said it had an "aspiration" to see half-hourly services between Hereford and five market towns in the coming years, with the priority being services to Ross-on-Wye and Leominster.

It also said there should be "bus priority and/or bus-only access on certain streets to make bus services faster and more reliable".

The proposals are set out in the council's draft Local Transport Plan 2025-2041, with residents invited to submit their views until 8 June.

The council does not operate the county's bus services but it partly funds the companies that do. There are about 10 such companies operating in Herefordshire.

The Department for Transport said last November that Herefordshire Council would get a grant of £3.257m to help extend current local bus routes.

Better and safer bus stops

The council's draft plans included an "aspiration" for half-hourly services between Hereford and the five market towns of Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury.

The document states that Ross-on-Wye and Leominster will be "the priority" for these services, as they have "the largest population and anticipated new development".

The council's transport plan also singled out Cantilupe Road, Gloucester Road, and the High Street in Ross-on-Wye as spots where it would "tackle delays" caused by on-street parking.

The local authority also plans to make bus stops safer and more accessible, with measures that include extra road crossings, cycle parking, lighting and CCTV, plus providing real-time bus information and even wi-fi at stops.

Bus travel is currently capped at £3 per journey, up from £2 last year.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.