Minister announces significant funding for bus projects
Thirteen bus projects will receive grants under the first round of Transport Scotland’s Bus Investment Fund (BIF).
The BIF was set up to encourage partnership working to help improve bus services, standards and infrastructure for communities across Scotland.
The successful applicants include:
100% Bus Stop Information in Fife (Fife)
Kingswell Park and Choose (Aberdeen)
Ring of Breadalbane Explorer (Perth & Kinross and Stirling)
A81 Quality Bus Corridor (East Dumbartonshire)
Rural Transport Solutions (Dumfries & Galloway/East Ayrshire)
A947 Mini-Interchange Hubs (Aberdeenshire)
Muchart and West Kinross-shire Demand Responsive Transport (Clackmannanshire/Perth & Kinross)
East Inverness Bus Improvement Corridor (Inverness)
Service 4 – Passenger Growth through Better Bus Priority (Edinburgh)
Service 24 – Bus Priority, Infrastructure & Frequency (Edinburgh)
SEStran Regional Real Time Passenger Information (various areas)
North Lanarkshire Connector Bus Service (North Lanarkshire)
Deeside Community Transport (Aberdeenshire)
Transport Minister Keith Brown said:
“I would like to congratulate all thirteen applicants who have secured substantial funding from this year’s Bus Investment Fund. The projects are spread across the country from Dumfries & Galloway to Inverness.
“This fund provides local authorities, RTPs and bus operators with the opportunity to apply for grants which will help to increase the standard of bus services and patronage.”
Ranald Robertson, Partnership Director of HITRANS, said
“HITRANS are delighted to hear that the application to the Scottish Governments' Bus Investment Fund for the £2.7million project in Inverness has been successful.
“The project which will be delivered in partnership with The Highland Council and Stagecoach will see major investment into local bus services including, 15 new efficient vehicles operating on the busiest bus routes in the city, improved at stop and real-time bus information, new bus shelters and a series of bus priority measures which will form the basis of a Quality Partnership between the partners over the next 3 years.”
Jim Coleman, Chair of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport said:
“We welcome the news that our application for funding has been approved. This additional support will enable SPT and our partners - North Lanarkshire Council and Maxim Business Park - to provide a sustainable transport service which will help open up employment opportunities, particularly for those that might otherwise struggle to access larger business parks. At the same time, it will also make the area more attractive for commercial investment.”
Ken Chew from the Breadalbane Tourism Co-operative, said:
“This is wonderful news for visitors wishing to explore Breadalbane and for locals needing public transport. We are very grateful to Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government for helping us to continue to develop the Ring of Breadalbane Explorer bus service by providing an extended service from spring through to autumn, while the three-year funding will help truly establish the service.”
Background
The Bus Investment Fund (BIF) was set up as a new challenge fund open to applications from public transport authorities working in partnership with operators, community transport, NHS, and other public or private sector partners.
An invitation asking for expressions of interest was placed on the Transport Scotland website and forwarded to all Local Authorities, RTPs and major bus operators with a closing deadline of 30 May 2013.
Forty-five bids were received in total from a range of companies and organisations and 13 were recommended for the 2013 round. Grants are limited to £1m per project spread over up to three years.
BUS INVESTMENT FUND – SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS
The projects proposed to be offered a grant are:
1. 100% Bus Stop Information in Fife (covers the Fife Council area). The project will address the problem of having no timetables/information at bus stops in the Fife area and ties in well with both national and regional transport strategy objectives. Much of Fife is rural where bus stop information provision is particularly important. BIF funding will pay for the costs of timetable cases and their installation.
Total Project cost - £100,000
Fund contribution - £60,000.
2. Kingswell Park and Choose – Through Access for Bus (Aberdeen). The project will enhance an existing park and ride facility. BIF will fund the link road to the facility.
Total Project cost - £150,000
Fund contribution - £112,500.
3. Ring of Breadalbane Explorer (Perth & Kinross and Stirling). The project will expand the existing bus service for future years focusing on non-school days as in the tourist season 57% of the route had no public transport coverage in this entirely rural area.
Total Project cost - £270,000
Fund contribution - £135,000.
4. A81 Quality Bus Corridor (East Dumbartonshire). The project will provide an improvement to Canniesburn Toll and Burnbrae roundabouts, providing a high quality bus service along the A81 including improved bus facilities, at bus stops, bus lanes passenger information and a bus interchange with multi modal travel hubs. BIF will fund the Kessington and Milngavie Town Centre hubs.
Total Project cost - £1,800,000
Fund contribution - £700,000.
5. Rural Transport Solutions (Dumfries & Galloway/East Ayrshire). The project will complement and improve the existing network by achieving efficiencies through shared use of assets in order to cut costs, safeguarding existing services in a predominantly rural area. BIF will go toward co-ordinating costs and insurance costs.
Total Project cost - £102,000
Fund contribution - £67,000.
6. A947 Mini-Interchange Hubs (Aberdeenshire). The project will provide access to public transport for rural communities which are not directly service by a bus service. No park and ride facilities currently available along the A947 corridor. Capital costs entirely covered by BIF.
Total Project cost - £700,000
Fund contribution - £500,000
7. Muckhart and West Kinross-shire DRT (Clackmannanshire/ Perth & Kinross). The project will resolve an identified public transport problem in rural communities by replacing low frequency rural bus services with a more cost effective public transport. This will be done by utilising local taxis/private hire car operators. BIF will match the aggregated funding committed by the two councils and tactran.
Total Project cost - £162,000
Fund contribution - £81,000.
8. East Inverness Bus Improvement Corridor (Inverness). The project aims to develop a Quality Partnership to promote better bus use by reducing journey times and bus lanes on busiest corridor in the city. Also improvements to on street facilities.
Total Project cost - £2,700,000
Fund contribution - £700,000.
9. Service 4 – Passenger Growth through Better Bus Priority (Edinburgh) Project will address lack of reliability to service and irregular journey times. Use of bus priority system using selective vehicle detection and infrastructure improvements.
Total Project cost - £125,000
Fund contribution - £100,000
10. Service 24 –Bus Priority, Infrastructure & Frequency (Edinburgh) Project will address lack of reliability to service and irregular journey times. Use of bus priority system using selective vehicle detection and infrastructure improvements.
Total Project cost - £466,000
Fund contribution - £406,000
11. SEStrans Regional Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI)( West Lothian and Edinburgh). The project will deliver RTPI across multiple operators and in several local authority areas. The project addresses one of the main reasons why people do not use buses. BIF will cover the cost of both the purchase and installation of RTPI.
Total Project cost - £2,276,000
Fund contribution £996,000.
12. North Lanarkshire Connector Bus Service (North Lanarkshire). The project delivers improved connectivity between key sites within North Lanarkshire by delivering transport options to a deprived area. The project will give links to education, healthcare and the job market. BIF will assist in funding 6 buses which SPT will lease out.
Total Project cost - £900,000
Fund contribution - £300,000.
13. Deeside Community Transport (Aberdeenshire). The project is currently self-sustainable however vehicles require replacing and funding enables the purchase of new buses to service the community which would otherwise be unaffordable. BIF will be put towards the cost of 2 new wheelchair accessible minibuses.
Total Project Cost - £97,700
Fund contribution - £45,000.
Contact Caroline Trainer at Press Transport Scotland on 07837 062 787