BOOM & BUS
Boris Johnson to unleash 4,000 new buses in £5bn boost for ‘easier and more affordable’ travel across Britain
BORIS Johnson is set to reveal plans for 4,000 new buses in a £5billion boost for “easier and more affordable” travel across Britain.
The PM will announce a five-year funding package to provide more frequent services and simpler fares.
2
It will also allow for new priority bus routes and the purchase of at least 4,000 zero-emission buses in England and Wales.
In a Commons speech today, Mr Johnson is expected to confirm the HS2 high speed rail link will go ahead, despite concerns about the costs and the impact on the environment.
The move will be seen as a tactic to placate Tory MPs critical of HS2 who have argued the money would be better spent on improving local transport links in the North and the Midlands.
As well improving bus services Boris will promise 250 miles of new cycle routes across England, with dozens of "mini-Holland" schemes to make town centres safer for cyclists.
BORIS' BUSES
Ahead of the announcement, Mr Johnson said: "Local transport connections have a truly transformative role to play in levelling up infrastructure across the country.
"Our daily journeys for work or leisure are about so much more than just getting from A to B - they are the key to accessing skilled jobs and opportunities, boosting businesses and unlocking economic growth for towns, cities and regions across this country.
Local transport connections have a truly transformative role to play in levelling up infrastructure across the country.
Boris Johnson
"That's why improving connectivity by overhauling bus services and making cycling easier than ever is such an important step forward, to make sure every community has the foundations it needs to thrive."
For Labour, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said the measures would not reverse the damage done by years of Conservative cuts.
MOST READ IN NEWS
"After years of under-investment and cuts, this unambitious announcement is nowhere near enough to make the difference that transport users, our economy or our environment need," he said.
"The Conservatives are refusing to reverse their colossal £645 million-a-year cuts to bus budgets, which have caused thousands of routes to be axed and fares to soar."
2
Boris Johnson tells his top team to work 24/7 to deliver for voters who backed him at seismic election to change Britain for the better
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.