Better Lancashire buses: special fares and more frequent services on the way

A dozen individual services are also to be given a boost with new and expanded timetables introduced on certain routes - including two operating on the Fylde coast.

Bus operators and Lancashire County Council have agreed how to spend £1.3m on increasing journey frequencies.

The number 12 service will see what is currently a school route extended to all-day operation, creating a link between Bispham and Poulton link.

Elsewhere, an extra morning return journey will be introduced on the number 42 route trough Fylde, Wyre and Lancaster to fill a gap in that service.

A £5.5m young person’s fare discount initiative has also been created for bus-users aged between 16 and 21, which see the price they pay for tickets cut by a third. That follows a decision taken at this year’s county council budget meeting to scrap free bus passes for 16-18-year olds who are not in education, employment or training, or who are young carers.

Meanwhile, a £1 adult single fare is to be introduced on Sundays across the county from 26th May, replacing the current 'buy Saturday, get Sunday free' offer - known as Weekender Ticket - which a recent meeting of the county council’s cabinet heard has had a low

uptake in some parts of Lancashire. That has been attributed to a lack of standardisation across different operators regarding how the concession can be bought and used.

The overall £8.5m funding fillip is part of the third phase of the government-financed Bus Service Improvement Plan for the county council and Blackburn with Darwen Council areas - almost £1.5m has come from savings found form earlier phases of the initiative - including the axing of the Weekender Ticket.

The exact operation of the young person’s discount scheme is still being discussed with bus operators - with a date for its introduction yet to be decided. However, a cabinet report revealed that it would cover single, return or day tickets and would require an application to be submitted for an AnyBus Young Person's pass, which would have to be presented upon boarding.

Cabinet member for health and wellbeing Michael Green told the meeting where the measures were decided that he knew of people for whom access to bus services had “made all the difference in terms of training, education and career opportunities”.

He added: [Lancashire is] a big county, we've got large rural areas and if people don't have access to a private motor vehicle, public transport is crucial to them.”

County council leader Phillippa Williamson added that her recent experience of the county’s buses had been “a great pleasure”.

Lancashire bus services began offering a £1 fare for single journeys after 7pm, seven days a week, in January last year, since when 1.8 million fares have been sold.

An investment will also be made in extra members of staff and longer operating hours at bus stations operated by County Hall. It is part of an effort to improve both customer service and security.

The cash will come from a £200,000 pot that will also be used to promote bus travel across Lancashire - including the other newly-agreed schemes to tempt passengers to get on board.