Public Transport funding and bids
We regularly bid for external funding to improve local transport.
Current bid applications and government funding
A Better Deal for Bus Users
A Better Deal for Bus Users, announced by the Department of Transport (DfT) in February 2020, sets out a package of ambitious and innovative actions to meet the needs and demands of the travelling public, with over £200 million of new funding announced in to help start a revolution in bus services. Further information is published on the Department for Transport website
Funding for supported bus services in 2020-21
£30 million has been made available from the overall Better Deal allocation to local authorities in 2020-21 to enable them to improve current supported bus services and to restore lost bus services where most needed. £648,608 was awarded to Nottinghamshire County Council subject to submission of a satisfactory statement of intent.
Download a copy of the Nottinghamshire County Council Statement of Intent [PDF] *
* Due to Covid -19 and its potential impact on bus services the County Council may change its proposed investment plans outlined in the statement of intent.
Successful funding bids
Access Fund bid
The County Council has submitted a successful Access Fund bid to the Department for Transport.
Find out more on the Access Fund page.
Clean Bus Technology Fund
The County Council were successful in their bid for the Clean Bus Technology Fund 2018 bid to the Joint Air Quality Unit.
This scheme has allowed local bus operators to install retrofit exhaust technology which reduces harmful tailpipe emissions by up to 95%. The funding will see buses retrofitted for local bus operators. Since funding was awarded there have been amendments to the number of buses to be retrofitted for several reasons, including some bus operators deciding to invest in newer low emission buses instead of retrofitting older vehicles.
Find out more on the Department for Transport website
Low Emission Bus Scheme Fund 2015
The County Council has submitted a successful Low Emission Bus Scheme bid to the Department for Transport.
Find out more on the Nottsbus ECOnnect page.
Rural Mobility Fund
£20 million has been made available from the overall Better Deal allocation to support on-demand services in rural and suburban areas. The objectives of the funding are as follows:
- to trial Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) solutions in providing transport services which work better for local residents of rural and suburban areas than traditional transport services i.e. timetabled bus services.
- to identify barriers and potential solutions to sustainability of demand-responsive transport.
March 2021 - The Government announced that Nottinghamshire County Council’s Rural Mobility Fund Bid was successful, along with 16 other Local Transport Authorities. The Demand Responsive Transport pilots will be developed in the coming months and services introduced in 2022.
Download a copy of the Phase 2 Business Case Executive Summary [PDF].
Transforming Cities Fund
Nottinghamshire County Council are a partner to the successful joint bid to the government Transforming Cities Fund.
In 2018, the Government launched the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF), a £2.45bn fund to support some of the largest city regions to enhance productivity and spread prosperity by improving intra-city public and sustainable transport connectivity, making it quicker and easier for people to get around some of England’s biggest cities. Just over half of the fund (£1.28bn) was made available to the shortlisted city regions for capital schemes over a 5-year period to 2022-23.
Split into two tranches of funding, £60m was set aside for Tranche 1 in 2018, which focused on funding early-delivery schemes or ‘quick wins’ and this was followed by £1.22bn in Tranche 2 to support longer-term programmes to achieve a step-change in local public and sustainable transport connectivity, with better access to jobs, reduced congestion and improved air quality.
The final Strategic Outline Business Case received full funding in March 2020 for the high cost scenario of £161m - the only city region to achieve this - to deliver bus priority measures, traffic signal priority, segregated cycle routes and public realm improvements. In Nottinghamshire this includes funding for the following:
- a new bus-based Park & Ride site off Leapool Roundabout, Arnold
- Bestwood and Arnold Bus Lane Package
- Bus and ULEV lane on the A612 Colwick Loop Road between Private Road No.1 and Victoria Park Way
- Switch on traffic light priority at 64 existing SCOOT/MOVA junctions
- Pinch Point Bus Priority Package - B5010 Nottingham Road – Bramcote
- Pinch Point Bus Priority Package: A610 Nottingham, Cinderhill and A60 Cross Street to Sir Robinson Way
Download a copy of the Strategic Outline Business Case Bid [PDF]
Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme Fund 2018
In spring 2018 the Government announced the Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (ULEBS). This builds on the success of the Green Bus Fund, which ran from 2009 to 2013 and the Low Emission Bus Scheme which ran from 2015 to 2018.
The ULEBS scheme made £48m available for local authorities and bus operators in England and Wales through a competitive bidding process.
Download a copy of the ultra-low emission bus scheme bid [PDF].
This bid was successful with up to £908k funding awarded to Nottinghamshire County Council in 2019.
Total Transport Fund
In spring 2015, the Department for Transport (DfT) held a competition to allocate funds for pilot schemes based on the principles of Total Transport. £7.6 million to 37 schemes run by 36 local authorities in England to pilot Total Transport solutions in their areas. These pilots were focused on rural areas. Nottinghamshire County Council were awarded £300,000.
Download a copy of the Nottinghamshire Final Report [PDF] (7 MB).
The Department for Transport feasibility report and pilot review considers the progress made by Total Transport pilots and the results achieved and is available by clicking here:
Local Transport Plan
Information on our Local Transport Plan funding.
Developer Contributions
Nottinghamshire County Council work with Local Planning Authorities to negotiate funding for public transport improvements for new housing developments in the form of Section106 planning contributions.
From 2020 Local planning authorities that have received developer contributions must publish, at least annually, an Infrastructure Funding Statement outlining income and expenditure during each financial year.
