Member Article

£450k funding boost for rural transport in Cheshire East

£450k of funding has been secured to improve transport in rural areas in Cheshire East.

It was the fourth largest allocation from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) £7.6m Total Transport Pilot Fund.

About half of Cheshire East’s 372,700 residents live in rural villages and towns.

Executive director of economic growth and prosperity at Cheshire East Council, Caroline Simpson, said: “Our bid, Transport & Rural Integration in Cheshire East (TRICE), demonstrates the importance of developing a viable rural transport network for the 50 per cent of our residents who live in rural areas.

“Many of these residents rely on passenger transport services.

“The money will help to identify what scope there is for integration across road passenger transport services commissioned by the public sector, including home-to-school transport, local bus support and non-emergency patient transport.

“It provides a great opportunity to work with partner organisations, particularly clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), to explore how to co-ordinate and integrate transport resources.

“This will ensure our transport is more efficient, of better quality and is more effective at meeting the needs of residents.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .