BUS services in Wiltshire have received a boost of nearly £7 million in funding.

Wiltshire Council has been awarded the cash by the Department for Transport (DfT) to invest in the county’s bus services for 2025 and 2026.

The funding was allocated as part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to help improve bus services in the county.

The authority said the money would see certain services operating for extended hours and increased frequency.

Others would be upgraded to “better serve key areas such as healthcare or employment sites and improve passenger waiting facilities”.

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Cllr Tamara Reay, cabinet member for transport, said: “We welcome this additional Government funding into Wiltshire’s bus services.

“With this funding we can now build on the proposals outlined in our Bus Service Improvement Plan to provide more enhanced bus services across the county, as well as other investments to help improve the bus passenger experience.

“Most Wiltshire buses are £2 or less for a single journey, and although this will rise to a maximum single fare of £3 in January, it still represents great value to travel to work, to explore our beautiful county, or as an alternative to taking the car.

“We are investing significantly in buses across the county and are always looking at innovative ways to deliver the right services that benefit the most people, whether it’s our pioneering Wiltshire Connect services in the Pewsey Vale area, or the electric buses in Salisbury, which we’re working closely with Salisbury Reds on as part of the Government’s ZEBRA programme.

“We will continue to work closely with all our partner operators to provide bus services that enable people to travel around and explore our beautiful county.”