More bus services between Blackpool town centre and Victoria Hospital thanks to £500,000 transport boost

Bus passengers are set to see an improvement in some key services in Blackpool – thanks to a half a million pound cash boost – including on routes serving Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

The money from the Department of Transport will be used to enhance five routes operated by both the council-owned Blackpool Transport,  Stagecoach and Transpora, formerly known as Coastliner.

Proposed improvements agreed on Blackpool Transport services are:

• Extension of service five which will run from Victoria Hospital to Poulton every 30 minutes (two buses per hour), Staining every 60 minutes and Blackpool Zoo every 60 minutes (one bus an hour each). Service five from Halfway House to Blackpool town centre and Victoria Hospital will continue to run every 15 minutes. Total cost £214,612

• Increased frequency on service six serving Grange Park, Layton, Blackpool town centre, Spen Corner and Mereside with buses running every 20 minutes on weekdays instead of every 30 minutes. Cost £55,689

• Increased frequency on service nine running from Cleveleys to Blackpool and The Fylde College, Bispham, Layton and Blackpool town centre so buses operate every 20 minutes at off-peak times instead of every 30 minutes. They will continue to run every 15 minutes at peak times. Cost £34,986

• Service 61 between Preston and Blackpool, which is operated by Stagecoach, will see increased frequency to two buses per hour between 7am and 7pm on Monday to Saturday. An additional Preston to Blackpool return journey will be added at 8pm. Lancashire County Council is supporting 75 per cent of the cost, with 25 per cent from Blackpool Council. Total cost £210,000

• Transpora will see funding improve its service 24 which links Blackpool town centre to Fleetwood,  with buses between Blackpool town centre and Victoria Hospital doubling to two buses an hour. They will co-ordinate with Blackpool Transport’s service five giving passengers the option of six buses an hour to Victoria Hospital from Blackpool town centre. Lancashire County Council will contribute two-thirds of the cost, with Blackpool Council providing the remaining third. Total cost £360,000

The remainder of the funding – around £29,000 – will be used for a marketing budget. Councillors raised concerns about bus services at a meeting of the full council in NovemberCoun Julie Sloman, who represents Norbreck, said there were six wards in the north of the town with no direct bus service to Victoria Hospital and warned there was “a largely elderly population in the north of the town” who relied on public transport.