Gloucestershire bus services to be improved with £4.4m funding

A council is proposing bus service improvements after receiving £4.4m in funding.

Gloucestershire County Council secured funding of over £4.4m by the Department for Transport over two years.

The funding means services which were withdrawn last year by Stagecoach could be reinstated.

The recommendation to try to secure contracts for 25 specific improvements was approved, including an expansion of The Robin.

The on-demand rural minibus service The Robin currently operates in the north Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, but it would be expanded to Tewkesbury, Stroud and the south Cotswolds.

The funding provides the opportunity to run additional services at weekends and later in the evenings, in response to feedback from bus users.

Councillor Philip Robinson, cabinet member with responsibility for buses, said: "This funding will help us to secure the bus transport network and provide many new and expanded services which I'm sure will prove very popular with residents.

"We are committed to improving and supporting the many bus services we have in the county.

"Buses help connect our communities and are a green and sustainable way to travel that will help us meet our carbon emission targets.

"This award is a very significant step in helping us to achieve those goals."

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