You wait for ages then two come along at once – The Better Bus Area Fund
As the deadline looms for the second tranche of Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) Bids, DfT have introduced the Better Bus Area Fund. This fund is described as a sister fund to LSTF, the sibling relationship being a result of the shared outcomes of the funds, namely achieving local growth and reducing carbon. The key difference for the Better Buses Area Fund, as the name suggests, is the focus on bus-related measures.
In short the better buses fund is a £50 million fund for English local transport authorities in larger towns and cities outside London. The available funding is evenly split between capital and revenue to be spent between 2012/13 and 2013/14, with authorities able to bid for up to £5 million each.
The scope of the fund is wide ranging, with potential projects including bus priority, marketing and information, ticketing schemes, infrastructure enhancements and traffic management measures to eliminate pinch points, where there is evidence they are affecting bus punctuality. The fund cannot however be used to support or replace “uneconomic bus routes” nor to fund low carbon vehicles.
Now for the small print, the guidance says that preference will be given to applications from the large conurbations and other “large urban areas” , and places the emphasis squarely on bids to tackle congestion and make buses a real alternative to the car. This approach may leave rural authorities who have been hard hit by the cuts in supported bus services feeling neglected. It may also leave some of these larger authorities facing a dilemma about whether to proceed with bus measures already in their LSTF bids, or jump ship to the new fund.
Authorities must also submit bids in partnership with key local bus operators, however the proposals should not favour one bus operator over another. The bids therefore provide an opportunity for authorities to develop their relationships with bus operators – but the short timescale allowed for this could be challenging, with the time needed to reach agreement being cited as one of the key barriers to the inclusion of bus-based measures in LSTF bids.
Finally local authorities and local bus operators will need to dig deep, as preference will be given to bids which demonstrate a financial commitment to match funding.
Bids must be submitted by 24th February 2012, so authorities need to get moving on their bids. For support and advice on pulling together a bid for the Better Bus Area Fund please contact Amy Denton (amy.denton@jmp.co.uk) or Peter Hardy (peter.hardy@jmp.co.uk ).
