Operator welcomes £40m boost to bus services

Trentbarton has welcomed a £40 million cash injection announced by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) for bus services across the region.

The funding, which comes from the Government, will aim to keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

EMCCA will get the funding as it is now the official local transport authority.

The plan is to work closely with partner councils and bus operators, including trentbarton, to develop the bus network further and discuss how to share the funding to get the best use of it.

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “Improving our bus services is about more than just getting people from A to B—it’s about transforming lives and communities.

“This funding is a fantastic opportunity to connect people across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, making it easier to access jobs, skills training, health appointments, and our incredible tourist attractions.

“Reliable, affordable buses are the lifeblood of our region, bringing people closer to opportunity and helping businesses to thrive.

“By working closely with councils and operators, we’ll make sure every penny of this funding makes a difference, creating a bus network that our communities can depend on and be proud of.”

This money is part of the Governments wider £955 million to support bus services until 2026 – with £712 million going to local authorities to improve bus services, and a further £243 million for bus operators.

Trentbarton operates services across both cities and counties.

Tom Morgan, managing director of trentbarton, said: “We welcome all investment in the bus network.

“Every pound helps bring benefits to local people, to our communities, social mobility and to the environment through cleaner air and less congestion.

“Like all bus operators, here at trentbarton we seek to provide attractive, reliable and affordable services that people want to travel on. We recently announced £3 million of our own investment in red arrow, bringing our cumulative investment in our fleet to £13 million over three years.

“We know the Government’s new funding will help bus operators to achieve even more for the people of the East Midlands.

“We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the Mayor, the East Midlands Combined County Authority and our local councils to see how this money can be most wisely invested to improve bus services in the way that customers want.

“We all need to work together to make buses the first choice for transport by speeding up journey times and improving consistency.

“We should be rewarding people who choose the bus as the environmentally sustainable option by prioritising buses on our roads, ahead of inefficient forms of travel such as the car.”