Council considers new Maidenhead bus station to boost public transport use

The creation of a new bus station in Maidenhead is one of the options being considered by the council to increase public transport use.

The local authority is preparing to submit a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to the Department for Transport at the end of October.

This will allow the council to be eligible for a slice of a £3 billion Government fund to improve public transport and reduce carbon emissions as part of the ‘Bus Back Better’ strategy.

In a report, due to be discussed by Windsor and Maidenhead council’s cabinet tonight (Thursday), the local authority said it has one of the lowest rates of bus use in the country.

Average day tickets, which cost an average of £5.30 in the borough, are also more expensive than all the council’s neighbouring authorities apart from Bracknell Forest.

A range of short and long-term measures have been drawn up to help increase passenger numbers across the borough, including the creation of a new bus station.

The report said: “The council has had a long-standing aspiration for a bus station in Maidenhead, and the BSIP presents an opportunity for the council to realise it as an ambition.”

The council said it wants to carry out a feasibility study into the construction of a new bus station and would require £5 million to £10 million funding from the Department for Transport to go ahead with the project.

Other short-term measures include a three-year trial of cheaper tickets and a trial of discounted tickets for RBWM Advantage Card holders which would cost £300,000 and £600,000 respectively.

The report added that the council is seeking up to £50,000 to help introduce live travel information for all bus operators in the area.

A discussion over the proposed Bus Service Improvement Plan will be held at York House, Windsor, tomorrow (Thursday) at 7pm.