Local people are being invited to have their say on plans to improve bus services in Derbyshire.

Derbyshire County Council is asking for views on a range of possible improvements to bus services in the county.

Earlier this year, the government published a new National Bus Strategy, which sets out a framework for how bus services can recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and a vision for future improvements across England.

The strategy places a requirement on the council and bus companies in the area to work together to create a Bus Service Improvement Plan. This will involve developing bold plans for improving local bus services and encouraging more people to use them.

The government has pledged £3 billion in funding across the country to help deliver these plans, and the county council say it is aiming to secure "a fair share" of that funding.

Some of the possible changes that the council is seeking views on are:

• Better bus stop facilities
• Greener buses
• More flexible services, like on demand services
• A range of simple, low-cost, day, weekly and monthly tickets that can be paid for using contactless cards which would allow travel on all bus services and trains
• More reliable services by using more dedicated bus lanes
• Real time bus information at more bus stops

Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, said: “We want to find out what local people think would improve bus services in our area.

“We’re working with all the bus companies in Derbyshire on an improvement plan and need to know what broad changes to the way bus services operate would encourage people to use them more often. We can then use this information to make a bid for Government funding to make the changes happen.

“Please take part in our online questionnaire and let us have your views so that together with our bus companies we can improve services in Derbyshire.”

The consultation can be found at derbyshire.gov.uk/busplan and closes on 20 August.

Read more from the Glossop Chronicle

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper