Bus Investment Fund
Overview
The Bus Investment Fund (BIF) was a fund which ran from 2013 to 2016 and operated as a challenge fund open to applications from public transport authorities working in partnership with operators, community transport, NHS, and other public or private sector partners.
The aim of the fund was to incentivise and enable partnership working to help improve bus services, partnerships, standards and infrastructure for communities across Scotland. It was intended that the fund should support and encourage all relevant authorities to take up partnership working to help increase the standard of bus services to increase bus occupancy and help achieve greater modal shift.
Due to budgeting constraints the fund has not been continued although we have looked at the viability and setup of a new fund should funding be made available. It should be noted several stakeholders have been vocal in their dissatisfaction that the fund has not returned after ending in 2016.
Bus Investment Fund 2013 - Projects
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.