York and North Yorkshire’s Mayor says the region’s buses are not good enough and has set out plans to fix them.
David Skaith says his vision is to increase accessible, affordable and convenient public transport.
And he has already pledged to keep fares low for youngsters and York NHS workers.
Mr Skaith said: “Buses across York and North Yorkshire are not good enough.
“Today marks a landmark step in the journey to fix that. From today I will be working tirelessly to get our buses working for people and communities across our region.
“Over the next year I’ll be investing £95m into our region’s transport and highways, improving bus stops, making our streets safer for children to get to school, and taking action to fix our roads thanks to an extra £16m from government to tackle potholes across the region.”
The Mayor’s pledges to date are to
- protect the cheaper fares for NHS staff at York Hospital
- connect young people by integrating £1 fares for under-19s in York and North Yorkshire.
- boost rural services by awarding an extra £50,000 to both the Moorsbus and DalesBus
- add an extra evening service from Harrogate to Pateley Bridge.
This year, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will consult on a Local Transport Plan.
David Skaith added: “As I work towards a public consultation on franchising there is work that I and the bus operators need to do to start making changes now.
“That is why I have called a roundtable with bus operators in the region to discuss what needs to be done to improve services for residents, businesses and visitors.
“I’ll also keep pushing for the long-term investment our region needs to fix our broken transport service, making York and North Yorkshire an easier place to live, work and enjoy.”