The consortium will revise guidance for delivery of bus priority schemes as part of the government’s national strategy to improve bus services and increase bus use

LONDON (June 24, 2022) — The Department for Transport (DfT) has appointed an Arup AECOM consortium to inform and update the Government’s guidance to local authorities on delivering bus priority across England. The work will be a key part of the Department for Transport’s Bus Back Better: National Bus Strategy, which involves increasing bus priority schemes to help make services faster, more reliable, more attractive to passengers and cheaper to run.

The new guidance will assist local authorities in the planning, design and delivery of bus priority measures. In developing the guidance, there will be engagement with local authorities as well as other agencies to understand key requirements and best practice, while taking on board the latest technological advances to enable better bus services for communities across England.

AECOM Project Manager Christian Bodé said: “The team is looking forward to working with DfT, Arup and stakeholders to update the guidance and provide a strong platform for local authorities to design and deliver improvements to bus services for passengers. Better integrating public transport with other modes and providing future thinking on the next generation of bus priority is critical to creating sustainable communities and delivering on the decarbonisation of our transport network.”

The work will build on the strong experience the consortium has in supporting the DfT with the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans and Enhanced Partnerships and in the design and delivery of bus priority projects across England, and the rest of the UK and Ireland.

The initial work will be research into best practice and views on future content for the guidance.

Arup Project Director Stephen Bennett said: “Arup’s collaboration with the DfT and AECOM in delivering this updated guidance document – which will provide the latest advice on traffic management to assist the movement of buses – is an important step in improving services for passengers, as part of the government’s Bus Back Better strategy.

“As we address the dual challenges of decarbonising the transport network and improving access between communities, it’s never been more important to have fast and reliable bus services. Delivering these services is vital to enable people to move around quickly and sustainably, access job opportunities, visit their local centres, and spend time with friends and family.”

ENDS