Hertfordshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan is set to benefit from a further £11 million to help the services grow and develop.

The £11 million will accompany the £29.7 million that was previously issued and has already been allocated to improve the bus network system. 

New services, more frequent buses, changes to fares and ticketing, and updates to customer information points and bus shelters have been implemented.

Cllr Phil Bibby, executive member for highways and transport at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “The Bus Service Improvement Plan has provided a focus on increased services, better journey times and reliability for passengers. 

“Improvements to the bus network also lead to more opportunities for residents who want to combine their journeys with walking and cycling.

“It’s pleasing to see that a further £11million of BSIP funding has just been announced for Hertfordshire, which will allow us to continue with the developments that have been put in place over the last three years.

“We are keen to build on what we have achieved and encourage more of our residents to give bus travel a try or make it part of their usual routine for business or leisure. 

“Working with our partners we remain committed to making Hertfordshire a cleaner, greener and healthier county and public transport is at the heart of those plans.”

According to the Department for Transport, since 2022, there has been an 18 per cent increase in Hertfordshire residents ditching their cars and travelling by busses.

The funding has been spread across a variety of projects such as increased frequency to routes into and out of Hertford, Stevenage, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and Watford as well as the surrounding areas.

Some rural communities in north and east Hertfordshire and Dacorum have benefitted from the launch of the Uber-style on-demand bus service, HertsLynx.

Discounted fares have also been introduced through the Hertfordshire SaverCard and Intalink Connect ticketing scheme as well as an Intalink mobile app for real-time service information and several community shelters.