Great news! Today (5th December) the Government has confirmed nearly £18 million over the next three years for Cumberland Council to invest in improvements to local bus services.
The funding can be used to deliver new bus services, purchase new buses, improve bus stops or assist with fares. I’ll be making representations to Cumberland Council about the improvements I want to see to the network and infrastructure in West Cumbria. I know the council shares my ambition.
This follows the £5 million already secured this year which is delivering a number of new bus services and a programme of bus stop upgrades across West Cumbria and beyond. You can find out more about the new services in our area here: joshmacalister.uk/backthebus
I am so pleased to be hearing positive feedback about the new routes. I’ve also had some suggestions for changes – for example, including St. Bees beach on the 32 route and revising the timetable of the 7/X7 service. I will raise all of these with Cumberland Council for consideration.
Improving existing services
I know that existing bus services are not up to scratch. Although these are run by a private operator on a commercial basis – meaning that the operator is not accountable to me or to the council when those services are delayed or cancelled – I share all concerns raised with me with Stagecoach. I met with them recently and they promised to put in place an improvement plan, which includes:
- Replacing older vehicles with newer buses from January;
- Maintaining strong driver staffing levels;
- Overhauling maintenance practices and fully staffing the Lillyhall engineering team for the first time since Covid;
- Bringing in specialist contractors and speeding up repairs through manufacturer-backed suppliers;
- Working with Cumberland Council to minimise delays caused by roadworks;
- Upgrading the tracking system to provide passengers with more accurate real-time information through upgrades to the tracking system.
I hope these plans will lead to significant improvements in the coming weeks and months. I will continue to monitor the situation closely and press Stagecoach to address any concerns that come through to my office.
You can contact Stagecoach with any questions about their services here
You can make a complaint about delays or cancellations here
I would love to hear your feedback about the new 32 and 7/X7 routes introduced on 1st December – good or bad! – get in touch with your experiences and any suggestions about how we can improve these services.
Josh MacAlister MP 