Free city bus service extended after new funding

A free electric bus service that carries passengers around Leicester city centre will continue to run into 2026 after securing more government funding.

Leicester City Council said more than a million trips had been taken on Hop! buses since they were launched in 2023.

On Thursday, the authority said it had been awarded £9.3m from the Department for Transport (DfT) to invest in bus services.

It said part of the funding would allow the £426,000-a-year service to run until at least March.

Hop! buses run every ten minutes in a loop, largely around the city's inner ring road, with stops at Haymarket Bus Station, Highcross shopping centre, Jubilee Square, Leicester Royal Infirmary, the railway station and the market.

The DfT cash will also be used to buy 48 new electric buses to serve other routes in the city.

The council said it hoped all buses in Leicester would be electric-run by 2030 in a move intended to cut pollution.

It added it had also received £12.6m to spend on other transport projects in the next 12 months.

These include major planned resurfacing and maintenance schemes on Melton Road and Aylestone Road.

The council said a new maintenance programme, to replace street lighting columns and illuminated street signs, would also get under way.

In addition, it plans a neighbourhood improvement fund to support local projects to improve public spaces around the city.

The council has been further informed it will get £59m to spend on transport projects between 2026 and 2030 though it has yet to allocate the money to specific schemes.

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.