New funding to allow communities to deliver better transport services

The government has today announced that up to £4 million is being made available to pilot new and better ways of delivering joined-up local transport in rural and isolated areas. South Lakes MP Tim Farron has urged local councils to bid for funding to protect and extend vital bus services in the county.

The Department for Transport fund aims to promote a better coordination and utilisation of all available transport services in local communities.

The funding will provide the essential first step for local authorities to implement service integration. The pilots will fund the costs of feasibility studies and other groundwork to identify scope for service integration in individual areas.

Successful bidders will then submit a detailed plan for delivering that integration to the Department for Transport. Bidding is open to county councils, integrated transport authorities and unitary and combined authorities. The fund is exclusively for rural and isolated urban areas and the closing date for bids is the 11 February 2015. The winners will be announced in March 2015.

Tim said: "This funding is much needed in a rural area like ours and I am urging the county council to make a bid. This funding could help promote public transport and this is something that is much needed. I hope that the council will look at putting a bid in for the reinstatement of the 106 bus from Kendal to Penrith which was a lifeline for many residents."