Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC), in partnership with its local bus service operators, developed a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) in 2021 and a BSIP Refresh earlier this year. The BSIP and Refresh set the vision, objectives and delivery plans of the council and its partners at a local level in accordance with the aims of the 2021 National Bus Strategy.
Development of the BSIP has included an in-depth consultation with groups and individuals including operators, local politicians, representatives of disabled people, bus user groups, business representatives, educations institutions and other organisations to shape priorities for bus travel in the city. The programme of works aims to achieve targets around journey times, punctuality, customer satisfaction and patronage growth. The Brighton & Hove BSIP Refresh can be accessed here: BSIP Refresh 2025.
BHCC was awarded £27.9m of funding by the Department for Transport (DfT) for the 2022-23 through 2024-25 financial years and a further £9.3m for the 2025-26 financial year to deliver the BSIP programme. To date, a wide range of projects and initiatives have been implemented, including, but not limited to:
• Fare offers including youth fares, daily and weekly citySAVER capping, student fares, short and medium hops
• New express services (1X and 3X)
• Numerous bus priority schemes
• Enhancement of socially necessary services (e.g. routes 16, 17, 21, 37/37B, 47, 52, 77/78/79, 273)
• Bus stop improvements
• Projects to improve equality of access and passenger experience
BHCC anticipates an additional Bus Grant award from DfT that will support continued delivery against its BSIP targets for the 2026 financial year. While the exact funding amount has yet to be confirmed, the council is developing a new delivery plan in advance of funding announcements, reviewing where existing schemes are appropriate to be continued and identifying new opportunities to deliver improvements to bus passengers within the city.
BHCC would like to share this delivery plan with you. The delivery plan is attached here, and the proposed plan is summarised below:
Capital
• Continuing our programme of making bus stops more accessible for all passengers across the city
• Continue work on piloting Park and Ride for the city to test viability and provide alternatives to parking in the city centre, enabling users to reach destinations more easily
• Implementation of on-bus cameras to detect traffic violations on selected routes across the network, supporting the enforcement process (subject to review by the council), aimed at alleviating issues of illegal parking and unauthorised vehicles in bus lanes
• Updating a previous route analysis study and delivering on quick wins and measures identified that will improve challenge areas for speed and reliability
• Reinforcement of the carriageway on key high-frequency bus corridors to improve passenger safety, comfort, and reduce future lane closures
Revenue
• Fare support – targeted fare offer. Details to be confirmed subject to funding available.
• Supported buses – continue support for socially and economically necessary 16, 17, 21, 37/37A, 47, 52, Breeze (77, 78, 79), 273 routes
• Continue support for expanded customer service contact centre hours for bus operators
• Feasibility review and potential implementation of charging for bus stop suspensions caused by roadworks
• Other measures including marketing, data collection, and bus stop maps
• Delivery resourcing and programme monitoring
This draft Bus Grant Delivery Plan for 2026-27 has been developed through engagement with operators within the Brighton & Hove Enhanced Partnership and council leaders, to ensure continued delivery towards BSIP targets and council priorities.
If you have any comments on this draft programme, or other ideas to be considered for future programmes, please direct these to: transport.projects@brighton-hove.gov.uk. Please provide comments by 9 January 2026. Please include reference to the organisation you represent.
The decision to approve this plan will be taken at the Brighton & Hove City Council Cabinet Meeting on 19 March 2026