WIRRAL West MP Matthew Patrick has backed the Government’s plans to deliver better buses across the peninsula by providing £20,850,110 in funding to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The investment has been designated to enhance popular routes, protect rural services and increase bus use for shopping, socialising and commuting. It will help prevent service reductions on at-risk routes and improve punctuality, to bring an end to the current postcode lottery of unreliable services.

Totalling £955m across England, the funding represents a record level of recent investment for bus improvements for the majority of areas, alongside once-in-a-generation reform to deliver London-style bus services to every corner of the country.

Under the Conservatives, bus services in England’s regions outside London saw thousands of bus services cut, and almost 300m fewer miles driven by buses per year, since 2010. Across the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority alone, bus miles declined by 35.95%.

As part of this investment, the way funding is allocated has been reformed. The reforms will allocate funding based on need and will end the Conservative’s system of competitive bidding for funding.

This funding announcement comes alongside the Government’s plans to deliver the biggest overhaul to the country’s bus services in a generation.

The Government is expanding the power to take back control of local bus services to every community and is speeding up the process of delivering public control of buses by removing barriers to bus franchising and public ownership.

The funding announcement is the latest stop on the Government’s journey to better buses, with a new Buses Bill to be introduced to Parliament in the coming months.

Mr Patrick said: “I am delighted that the Transport Secretary has confirmed more than £20m of new bus funding across our region.

“People across Wirral West are tired of unreliable, infrequent bus services holding them back from opportunities after a decade of neglect of our local bus services.

“This new Government has a plan to deliver better buses across the country, and this funding boost is another crucial stop on that journey.”

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up – and some have been cut off altogether.

“That’s why we’re reforming funding to deliver better buses across the country and end the postcode lottery of bus services.

“And it’s why we’re providing over £1bn of funding to keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services.

“This is part of our wider plan to put passengers first and give every community the power to take back control of their bus services through franchising or public ownership.

“By delivering better buses, we’ll ensure people have proper access to jobs and opportunities – powering economic growth in every corner of the country.”