Buses' £1.5m subsidies reviewed by council
BCP Council said the review aims to "ensure best value for public money"
- Published
Bus services in three towns are to be reviewed for the first time in six years as a council looks to save money.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council spent £1.54m subsidising 24 bus services in the last financial year, with £834,000 coming from its own budget and the rest from government.
It said there had not been a review since the council was formed in 2019.
Residents are being urged to take part in a consultation to help shape changes, which could include re-routing, combining routes, or adjusting frequencies of services.
The authority said, in 2025, it received £2.66m of revenue bus grant from the Department for Transport (DfT) to support service improvements, and it expects to receive at least the same amount in 2026.
It said it had been told by the DfT, if it undertook a review to ensure it was providing "value for money", it could keep the money from its own budget next year, using only government funding for the services.
The review aims to pinpoint where passenger numbers have increased and whether the subsidy, or a reduced subsidy, is still needed to run them - or if there are lower cost alternatives.
Sustainable travel councillor Andy Hadley said: "We want to be able to update the picture on how people use our bus services so that we help fund routes that are needed the most, whilst not covering costs, and can ensure best value for public money."
The consultation runs until midnight on 18 August, and any changes will be implemented from May 2026.
Any changes to school services will not take place until the following academic year.
Survey forms, external are available online, on buses and at libraries.
Get in touch
Do you have a story BBC Dorset should cover?
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, external, X, external, or Instagram, external.
- Published29 May
- Published20 September 2024
