FUNDING support for zero emission buses across Devon and improvements to bus travel in Newton Abbot have been approved by Devon County Council (DCC).

The council backed the proposals which will be funded using a share of the £10.3 million Bus Service Improvement Plan funding Devon received from the Department for Transport for this financial year.

Bus operators will be supported to deliver zero emission bus projects and decarbonise their fleet with an allocation of £1.4 million.

These projects will be in addition to those being delivered by the DfT’s ZEBRA2 fund, which will see 51 electric buses taking to the roads in Exeter over the next six months.

The Sherborne Road Bus Interchange in Newton Abbot will undergo £548,000 of improvements, upgrading existing junctions and crossings in the town centre to support bus priority and reduce bus journey times.

Bus shelters will be replaced, lighting upgraded and electronic real time passenger information displays will also be installed.

Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said: ‘All of these investments are designed with the aim of improving the passenger experience and reducing carbon emissions.

‘Our Bus Service Improvement Plan sets an ambitious target to modernise the fleet of buses in Devon so that there are no more diesel buses operating in the county by 2035.

‘This funding will help to support the delivery of more zero emission buses, while the other improvements will hopefully make bus travel a more attractive option.

‘If these upgrades encourage people to switch from their car to buses for some journeys, then that can lead to even further carbon savings’.

For more information about Devon County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan please visit https://www.traveldevon.info/bus/bsip/