Silence over bus route bids amid repeated appeals

Cumberland Council said it was continuing to encourage bus companies to bid for contracts to run the new routes

Bus operators have been urged to "step up" to deliver new routes across a rural county.

Cumberland Council has appealed for bus companies to bid for contracts to run new routes across North and West Cumbria, after receiving £3.5m in funding from the government.

The submission period remains open until mid-September, with the Labour-led local authority refusing to reveal how many, if any, bids it has received so far, or what steps it would take if no company comes forward.

Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, has written again to bus firms to urge them to submit their bids, adding the operators would be "letting down our communities" if they do not come forward.

MacAlister, a Labour MP, said poor public transport was holding back the area.

His letter to bus operators, was sent in conjunction with Cumbria's other Labour MPs: Julie Minns, Markus Campbell-Savours and Michelle Scrogham.

"This investment will only succeed if bus operators step up," MacAlister said.

He said more funding settlements were anticipated, giving bus companies "real certainty for the long term".

"This is a chance to build a better bus network for Cumberland, and we expect operators to play their part," he said.

Cumberland Council echoed the MPs' call to bus companies.

A spokesperson said: "We encourage bus operators to take this opportunity to partner with us in building a more connected, accessible future for communities across Cumberland."