Council reports BSIP has helped to boost patronage by 14%
BSIP funding has resulted in new or restored bus links
Norfolk County Council has hailed the success of its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)after new figures showed bus use in the county has risen to well above pre-pandemic levels, bucking national trends.
According to data presented to the council’s infrastructure and development committee last week, 28.5 million bus journeys were made in Norfolk between April 2024 and March 2025. That represents a 26.7% increase compared with 2022/23 and leaves patronage 14% higher than before Covid-19. By contrast, the latest Department for Transport statistics show bus use across Great Britain remains at just 81% of pre-pandemic levels, with only eight of 93 local authorities recording an sort of meaningful increase in bus patronage.
The report to councillors said the increase in bus use followed £65.45m of Department for Transport funding secured since 2022, one of the largest awards to a non-metropolitan authority. Norfolk was also one of only 36 councils to receive any initial BSIP funding, a decision officials attributed to the quality, content and ambition of its plans.
The committee heard that funding has delivered new or enhanced services on more than 44 routes, including additional evening and Sunday journeys, alongside five entirely new routes. Bus priority measures have also played a key role in the growth, with six new bus lanes and eight junction schemes cutting journey times. Changes to the one-way system in Great Yarmouth, for example, have saved up to five minutes per trip at peak times, while a short bus lane on Queen’s Road in Norwich saves an average of 26 minutes of bus time per weekday.
Investment has extended beyond service delivery. Around 90% of bus stops are now accessible, 20 ‘gold bus stops’ – frequently used bus stops that the council has upgraded with a bigger shelter, more seating and real-time information screens – have been installed, and QR codes providing live departure information have been used more than two million times. Passenger satisfaction is also on the rise, reaching 87%, up six percentage points in 18 months, despite value for money remaining the weakest-rated measure.
Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “This investment marks a landmark moment for public transport in Norfolk. Our partnership with bus operators is delivering cleaner, faster, and more reliable travel for everyone and with new funding secured for bus travel right up to 2030 we can now continue with the excellent work.”
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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