£9 Million Bus Funding Plan Aims to Improve Services and Support Families in Brighton & Hove

Around £9 million will be invested over the next 12 months to improve bus services and keep fares affordable for families across Brighton & Hove. Cabinet members at Brighton & Hove City Council are set to discuss the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) Delivery Plan for 2026/27 on Thursday 19 March, outlining how the funding […]

Around £9 million will be invested over the next 12 months to improve bus services and keep fares affordable for families across Brighton & Hove.

Cabinet members at Brighton & Hove City Council are set to discuss the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) Delivery Plan for 2026/27 on Thursday 19 March, outlining how the funding will be used to support passengers and strengthen the city’s transport network.

A central focus of the plan is ensuring bus travel remains affordable, particularly for families relying on services for school journeys and those most in need of low-cost transport options.

The report recommends allocating £5.5 million of the LABG towards fare support and maintaining key bus routes. This includes £750,000 for fare offers aimed at families, young people and low-income residents, alongside an additional £700,000 carried over from the previous financial year, bringing the total to £1.4 million.

Further investment includes £3.3 million to support socially necessary bus services and the popular Breeze Buses to the South Downs, as well as £760,000 to enhance service reliability and punctuality. A further £80,000 will be used to extend customer service opening hours.

More details on future fare offers and long-term affordability plans are expected to be announced next week.

This funding comes in addition to more than £10 million the council will spend again this year on free bus passes for older and disabled residents, funded through surplus income from council fees and charges.

A further £3.1 million from the LABG will be directed towards projects designed to improve the overall bus travel experience and increase passenger numbers.

Planned improvements include making bus stops more accessible through new dropped kerbs, ramps and redesigned layouts, as well as continued support for express bus services.

Key bus corridors such as Lewes Road, Eastern Road and Upper Rock Gardens will see upgrades, while new on-board cameras will be installed to enforce bus lane restrictions. The funding will also support the development of strategic mobility hubs, including Park & Ride schemes, and targeted service changes to improve journey times and reliability.

These measures aim to build on Brighton & Hove’s strong bus network, which already records some of the highest passenger numbers per capita outside London.

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “We have a great bus network in Brighton & Hove, but we’re always looking for ways to improve bus travel and keep fares affordable, working creatively to support those who need it most with the limited funding we have.

“Buses are a lifeline for linking our residents with hospitals, GP surgeries, shops, work, education and their communities, so subsidising fares and supporting services that wouldn’t otherwise be commercially viable is vital.

“We want to encourage people to travel by bus which is why we’ll also be improving bus stops, key routes and funding express services to get people where they want to be faster.

“By improving our bus network we encourage more people to use public transport, helping to reduce congestion and support our air quality and Net Zero goals.”

Since 2022, Brighton & Hove has received around £37 million from the Department for Transport through Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) funding.

Nearly £11 million of that has been used to subsidise fare offers, including £3.9 million specifically supporting under-19s since 2024.

The council has also invested in improving bus priority measures, accessibility at stops, and network resilience, while introducing new express services and increasing frequency and reliability across existing routes.