Preet Kaur Gill MP has today backed the Labour Government’s transformative plans to deliver better buses across the West Midlands by providing £100 million in funding across transport authorities in the region. 

The investment will protect local routes, protect rural services and increase bus use for shopping, socialising and commuting. The funding will keep fares down and deliver more reliable services. 

Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Edgbaston, has been campaigning for the extension of bus routes and more reliable services in her constituency in the face of cuts under the Conservatives. Her work resulted in the extension of the X21 bus in Bartley Green, improving connectivity in the area. She is currently working with residents on re-routing the 48 bus. 

Under the Conservatives, bus services in England’s regions outside London collapsed, with thousands of bus services cut, and almost 300 million fewer miles driven by buses per year, since 2010. Across the West Midlands, alone, bus miles declined by 32%. Gill says she frequently travels on the buses in the constituency and understands the impact cuts have had, isolating part of her constituency from the city centre. 

Totalling £955 million across England, the funding represents a record level of recent investment for bus improvements for the majority of areas, alongside once-in-a generation reform to deliver London-style bus services to every corner of the country.  

This funding announcement comes alongside the Government’s plans to deliver the biggest overhaul to the country’s bus services in a generation, and call time on four decades of failed deregulation.  

The Labour Government is giving communities powers to take back control of local bus services by removing barriers to bus franchising and public ownership.  

The funding announcement is the latest stop on the Government’s journey to better buses, with a new Buses Bill to be introduced to Parliament in the coming months.  

Commenting on the announcement, Preet Kaur Gill MP said:  

“I am delighted that the Transport Secretary has confirmed £100 million of new bus funding across our region.  

“For years, I have been campaigning to improve the bus service for my constituents because too often buses are running late or not turning up at all. I believe a reliable transport network is critical to people’s lives. Every day buses transport our constituents to work; to healthcare appointments; young people to school and college; moving people across our cities, boosting local economies; linking friend with friend and family to family. 

“This new Government has a plan to deliver better buses across the country, and this funding boost is another crucial stop on that journey.”  

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said:  

“Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether. 

“That’s why we’re reforming funding to deliver better buses across the country and end the postcode lottery of bus services.

“And it’s why we’re providing over £1bn of funding to keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services.  

“This is part of our wider plan to put passengers first and give every community the power to take back control of their bus services through franchising or public ownership.  

“By delivering better buses, we’ll ensure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities – powering economic growth in every corner of the country.”  

ENDS