Bus facilities to get £1.4m in improvements

About £550,000 will be spent on making improvements to the bus shelters, lighting and signage in Newton Abbot

Facilities for bus users are set to be improved in two towns after receiving council funding.

Devon County Council approved spending of £850,000 on moving and improving bus shelters and changing the road layout around Barnstaple railway station.

It will also spend £550,000 on replacing bus shelters and improving information displays at the main bus interchange in Newton Abbot on Sherborne Road.

The council said it was also providing £1.4m on supporting bus companies to buy zero emission buses with all of the funding coming from the Department for Transport.

The road layouts will be changed around Barnstaple Station to make it easier for passengers moving between buses and trains

The plans for Barnstaple include expanding the station forecourt with improved facilities, changing road layouts, safer crossings and changes to car parking spaces.

The council said the Sherborne Road bus stops in Newton Abbot were the third busiest location for buses in Devon after Exeter and Barnstaple.

Improvements there will include replacing the existing bus shelters, improving real-time passenger information displays and upgrading lighting in the area.