Plymouth’s bus network is to receive a £4.5 million investment from April, in partnership with local operators.
A programme of improvements for the coming year, developed in line with the city’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and funded by the Department for Transport’ s 2025/26 Bus Grant, was approved today.
The improvements will help achieve the Plymouth Enhanced Bus Partnership’s vision to ‘create a thriving bus network where everyone can be connected to important people and places, by services that are frequent, reliable, fast, affordable, safe and clean, which will also help Plymouth to achieve its net zero goals by 2030.’
They include:
- extra investment in subsidised services, with more frequent services, more days of operation and new services providing connections between communities
- a new real time passenger information system, replacing the ageing digital bus shelter displays
- improved passenger information, including new facilities for passengers with visual impairments
- the recently announced new Service 19 bus to and from The Park crematorium, along with new bus stops and a pedestrian crossing
- improvements at the park and ride sites, such as height barriers at the George Junction park and ride
- support for the Royal Parade improvements scheme
- continued staffing of the George Junction park and ride travel centre
- continued personalised travel planning, providing residents with one-to-one advice on Plymouth’ s bus services
- a review of the multi-operator ‘Skipper’ ticket to make it better
The programme supports seven of the nine identified passenger priorities within the Bus Service Improvement Plan.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure said:
“This is the first time the council has received both capital and revenue funding for our Bus Service Improvement Plan.
It’s therefore a great opportunity to provide the bus services people need and the infrastructure to support them, in terms of better passenger information system and new bus stops.”
…but parking charges are set to rise by 20p an hour
Over the past 12 months the City Council has a made a number of improvements to support motorists, including the creation of over 400 extra wide spaces, expanding payment options, increasing the maximum stay on street in the city centre, and introducing business permits in some loading areas.
However, increases need to made to parking charges to cover rising costs and the rate of inflation. The plans offer motorists a greater choice of parking and payment options, make tariffs and permit schemes more consistent and brings Plymouth’s parking charges more in line with other parts of the country.
One of the most significant changes is the move from separate daytime and evening tariffs to a single charging period. This will make parking tariffs simpler and ensure that motorists receive their full parking time, instead of losing time if parking is booked within an hour of the changeover between rates. Other changes include:
- Increasing On Street parking by 20p per hour.
- Adjusting permit costs for inflation, calculated back to April 2024.
- Raising some short stay car park tariffs, while longer stays remain unchanged.
- Applying inflationary increases to the cost of applying for and installing a disabled driver parking space (DDPS), removing the current subsidy. This will help protect the future of these services, supporting people with disabilities.
- Reintroducing the 20p RingGo convenience fee, previously covered by the Council since the pandemic.
- Launching a campaign to remind people that they can use their remaining parking time in other locations.
The changes are due to come into effect on April 14.
Councillor Mark Coker, Plymouth City Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said:
“Over the past year we have heavily invested in parking arrangements across the city.
“But like most local authorities, our financial challenges, due to rising costs and demand mean that we do need to make some alterations to our charging policy.
“These changes are essential for ensuring the sustainability of our services and making our parking system more user-friendly. By moving to a single charging period and adjusting fees, we are addressing long-standing issues and aligning our charges with other cities.
“We are committed to supporting motorists and visitors, and these changes will help us continue to provide high-quality services.”
