£4m plan to improve resort's bus services

More than £4m of funding is set to be spent on improving bus services in Blackpool including upgrading shelters.

It will go towards implementing Blackpool's Bus Service Improvement Plan which sets out a number of priorities including bus lanes on Talbot Road, replacing worn out bus shelters and deep cleaning.

It also includes rolling out more Real Time Information screens at town centre bus shelters.

The cash includes £2.5m of capital funding and almost £1.7m of revenue funding allocated to the council by the Department for Transport.

The Bus Grant Delivery Plan including the proposals is due to go before a meeting of the council's executive committee on 28 April for approval.

A report setting out the recommendations said the funding was expected to be used "for the purposes of improving bus services and infrastructure" in a way  "which delivers tangible improvements for passengers."

About £1m will be used to support services in order to ensure they are sustainable and meet the needs of people living and working in Blackpool, while £1.6m has been allocated to creating bus lanes on Mather Street to Devonshire Road and Cecil Street to Devonshire Road.

A full audit of all bus shelters is also proposed "to evaluate and categorise each shelter and stop, enabling an annual maintenance, replacement, deep clean and refurbishment programme".

The council, which owns Blackpool Transport, also hopes the improvements will encourage more use of public transport which will help it meet its environmental targets, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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