Surrey busses to benefit from £12 million in funding as part of pledge for 'London-style service' across UK

Joseph Bickle
·3-min read
Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million in Government funding to improve bus services
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Surrey is to benefit from more than £12 million pounds in Government funding as part of a pledge from the new Labour government to bring "London-style bus services to ever corner of the country".

Surrey County Council has announced that the funds have been allocated by the Department of Transport. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has confirmed that £712 million of funding for local authorities across England to improve bus services, and a further £243 million for bus operators, totalling in a £1 billion investment package.

A key aim of the government's investment in England's bus services is to bring "once-in-a-generation reform to deliver London-style bus services to every corner of the country."

READ MORE: Man in Morrisons 'assaults security guard' at Surrey store

READ MORE: Surrey town residents asked to choose between new NHS health hub or housing at key site

According to Surrey County Council, this investment will increase the frequency of buses on popular routes, protect services to rural areas, help Surrey bus services grow their passenger numbers and support people who rely on these bus routes to make essential journeys.

Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth at Surrey County Council said: "I’m delighted that Surrey will benefit from this essential funding which will help us to build upon our own significant investment and encourage more people to take the bus."

The government has affirmed that all regions of the England will benefit from the £1 billion funding package, but it is particularly aimed at areas which have been "historically underserved, like rural areas and small towns".

In Surrey, 70 per cent of the county is considered rural with it being estimated that in 2023 alone, 26 million journeys were made by bus in the county.

Other counties in the south east have also received shares of the investment with Kent to receive £17 million, East and West Sussex to receive a combined total of around £20 million, and Hampshire to receive around £14 million. These investments are set to be received by England's counties in 2025 and 2026.

Speaking about the scheme Ms Haigh said: "Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether."

The new funding has come alongside the news that the single bus fare cap is to rise by 50% from £2 to £3. These rises in bus prices were largely unpopular with the people of Surrey, with some going as far as to say buses are 'no longer a viable mode of transport' compared to driving.

The Government has said this £1 billion investment has been implemented to keep bus fares from increasing further in the future, while also delivering more reliable services and protecting local routes.

In October 2023, Surrey County Council received a £7.8million investment to improve bus services. This investment from from the Government contributed to a number of improvements our council made to our bus services. These include: adding 54 new zero emission buses to their fleet; £6.3million of investment in more ultra-low and zero emission community transport minibuses; £9m was also spent in measures to increase bus punctuality and finally £1.4m was spent to improve the information available for passengers at bus stops.

In July 2023, in an attempt to encourage bus use among young people, Surrey County Council introduced the Surrey LINK bus card which gives young people aged 20 and under half-price bus travel across Surrey. Additionally, also newly introduced in Surrey is the Surrey Connect on-demand minibus service which targets areas where there is a low amount of bus routes.

Passengers can book a minibus to collect them from their home, passengers will be paired with other passengers also going to a nearby area. Plans have also recently been announced to expand the Surrey Connect service, as it is currently not available for people in Guildford, Woking, Godalming, Epsom, Cobham and Redhill among others.

Latest stories

  • Bus swerves off road and into group of pedestrians at bus stop

    Shocking footage shows the moment a bus swerved off the road and onto the pavement - into a group of pedestrians waiting on the side of the road. The collision happened at 10:30am this morning on Lightmoor Way, Telford. The video shows the bus - which was heading to Telford Centre - drive into a group of three people. A crowd of people then run to the scene, to try and push the bus off the person who had been hit. The bus reverses off the pavement and emergency services were called to the scene.

  • Air Canada ordered to pay $10K after couple endures 'horrendous experience'

    A small claims court has ordered Air Canada to pay a couple $10,000, after an overbooked flight resulted in the two being sent to multiple Canadian airports under the promise of a replacement flight that never materialized, ruining a vacation that had been planned for years. A blistering decision from the Small Claims Court of Yukon concluded that the couple were "treated shamefully" by the airline. Justice Katherine L. McLeod wrote that Air Canada had breached the Air Passenger Protection Regul

  • Electric cars in winter: How cold weather affects EV range and charge

    Like everything powered by lithium batteries, electric cars can perform less well in the cold. Here’s what that means for you, and how to work around it.

  • 'It seems to be getting a bit out of control': E-bike and e-scooter crimes soar 730% in five years

    The officers seize it and take it to "the cage" - a lock-up behind nearby Bishopsgate police station - from where it will be taken away and crushed. Then, the officers are straight onto their next target - a powerful e-bike that can reach speeds far higher than the 15.5 mph allowed by law. City of London Police sergeant Stu Ford says they could be out doing this all day, every day.

  • 'Oh My Gosh!': Plane Crash That Injured 4 Caught on Dashcam

    Four people were injured after a small plane crashed onto a road and struck three vehicles at a busy intersection in Victoria, Texas, on Wednesday, December 11.The Victoria Police Department said officers responded to reports of a small plane crash at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway shortly after 3 pm.Police said five people were involved in the crash. Four people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries while one person was transferred to a hospital outside of town. The pilot was being evaluated.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). confirmed a twin-engine Piper PA-31 crashed in Victoria at about 3 pm.In an update on Wednesday evening, police said local traffic routes had been adjusted and the Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway intersection would remained closed until further noticeThis dashcam footage captured by Anthony Poynor shows the moments before and after the crash. Credit: Anthony Poynor via Storyful

  • Christmas travel strikes: What trains and airports are affected by industrial action this winter?

    Walk-outs in the UK and continental Europe will disrupt millions of Christmas journeys

  • Bygone: Remembering the 1906 railway crash which killed 28 people

    The reaction to the article on the tunnel found at Salisbury Railway Station which appeared in last weeks Salisbury Journal has been quite incredible and has led to some interesting feedback.

  • Security Camera Captures Moment Car Flipped, School Bus Hit in Boston

    A vehicle was flipped on its side and a school bus was hit in a multi-vehicle crash in Boston, Massachusetts, on the evening of December 10.Security camera footage captured by a local business shows a school bus waiting to turn left across traffic at the three-way intersection of Warren, Waverly, and Copeland in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. A car in the left-turn lane can be seen attempting to quickly move into the right-hand lane, but does so at the moment another vehicle is passing on the right. The passing vehicle was flipped onto its side on impact and a third vehicle was rear-ended into the school bus.Two children were on board the bus at the time of the crash, reports said.According to local news reports citing officials, no one was taken to the hospital following the incident. Credit: Cesar Rivera via Storyful

  • Bus driver who was reading piece of paper before hitting pedestrian jailed

    Simon Mumford, 54, has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty at Plymouth Crown Court

  • Wreckage From Plane Crash Seen Scattered Across Texas Intersection

    Four people were injured after a small plane crashed onto a road and struck three vehicles at a busy intersection in Victoria, Texas, on Wednesday, December 11.Footage from Anthony Poynor shows the wreckage of the crash scattered across the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway.The Victoria Police Department said officers responded to reports of a small plane crash at the intersection shortly after 3 pm.Police said five people were involved in the crash. Four people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries while one person was transferred to a hospital outside of town. The pilot was being evaluated.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed a twin-engine Piper PA-31 crashed in Victoria at about 3 pm.In an update on Wednesday evening, police said local traffic routes had been adjusted and the Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway intersection would remained closed until further notice Credit: Anthony Poynor via Storyful

  • Overweight lorry breaches traffic restrictions in town centre

    A lorry driver was issued with a Traffic Offence Report after driving through Leiston despite the 7.5 tonne weight limit.

  • M25 and M26 closed after pedestrian hit by car and lorry fire

    Long traffic jams build up, causing delays of at least an hour

  • Ford Escort Mk1 returns with souped-up engine and £300k price tag

    The Ford Escort is to return with a souped-up engine delivering nearly three times the power of the original – and a £300,000 price tag.

  • A Southwest Airlines plane narrowly avoided a collision when it landed on a runway that already had a plane on it

    A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 was cleared to land on a Long Beach runway which was occupied by another plane — but slowed down in time to taxi away.

  • Watch the Ford Mustang GTD Set a Sub-7-Minute Nürburgring Lap Time

    The 815-hp Mustang circled the famous racetrack in 6:57.685, and next year Ford is going back to try to go even faster.

  • Pedestrian seriously injured in car collision at zebra crossing

    The incident happened in Sea Road, near the junction with Endwell Road in Bexhill, at about 7.20pm on December 11

  • Christmas getaway chaos fears amid ‘record’ traffic and crippled train services

    Families are bracing for Christmas getaway chaos amid warnings of record numbers of cars on the roads and staff shortages that could cripple rail lines.

  • Turbulence slammed Hawaiian Airlines flight because of decision to fly over storm cell, report says

    A Hawaiian Airlines flight crew's decision to fly over a hazardous storm cell instead of deviating around it was the probable cause for hitting severe turbulence that injured passengers and crewmembers in 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a final report Thursday. Three passengers and a crew member suffered serious injuries during the flight Dec. 18, 2022, from Phoenix to Honolulu. According to the report, a crewmember said it reminded him of a “volcanic explosion.”

  • HS2 would be better value for money without 225mph bullet trains, says rail minister

    ‘The highest speed high-speed railway in Britain is going to cost this nation a lot of money,’ said Lord Hendy

  • View Photos of the 1991 BMW 850i

    1991 BMW 850i exterior and interior photos.