Darren Paffey MP has set out his campaign for a new Southampton Loop Bus during a visit to BlueStar’s bus depot in the city.
The visit was an opportunity to discuss the importance of local bus services in Southampton, where the city is already one of the top five local authority areas for bus use per head.
Darren’s campaign builds on his wider work to secure better buses for Southampton, following the announcement of £4.6 million of Labour Government funding for Southampton’s transport authority to improve popular routes, protect services, increase bus use and improve punctuality.
During the visit, Darren raised issues and concerns shared with him by residents, including reliability, frequency, better hospital links, and the need for improved connections across the city.
A key focus of the discussion was Darren’s campaign for a Southampton Loop Bus, which follows feedback from residents at his public transport coffee morning last year, where many raised the need for better orbital routes around the city.
The aim of the Loop Bus is to make it easier for residents to travel across Southampton without always having to go into the city centre first, before travelling back out again. This could mean better connections between district centres and communities in the east of the city and places such as Shirley, Southampton General Hospital, Portswood, Bitterne, Woolston and beyond.
Darren also discussed new routes and timetable changes coming in September, including changes designed to improve reliability and strengthen links to the hospital.
Darren Paffey MP said:
“Buses are absolutely vital to Southampton. We are already one of the top performing areas in the country for bus use per head, which shows just how important good bus services are to our city.
“My campaign for a Southampton Loop Bus comes directly from conversations I have had with residents, including at my public transport coffee morning last year, where people raised the need for better routes connecting communities across the city.
“Too often, people have to travel into the city centre just to come back out again. A Loop Bus could make cross-city journeys easier, improve access to the hospital, and better connect our district centres and communities in the east of the city with the rest of Southampton.
“The Labour Government has already committed £4.6 million for better buses in Southampton, and I want to make sure residents see that investment translate into more reliable services, stronger connections and routes that better reflect how people actually move around our city.
“It was great to hear the positive reception to my campaign from BlueStar, and I look forward to working with them and Southampton City Council as we progress this idea.”
Alongside the Loop Bus campaign, Darren also discussed work to electrify Southampton’s bus fleet. BlueStar told Darren that more than 100 buses could potentially be electrified if the necessary power capacity was in place.
Darren is working with Satvir Kaur MP and local partners to help unblock the barriers to bus fleet electrification in Southampton.
Darren added:
“Electrifying Southampton’s bus fleet would mean cleaner air, greener transport and new opportunities for our city. But to make that happen, we need the right infrastructure and power capacity in place.
“It was also fantastic to see the jobs, skills and opportunities BlueStar provides here in Southampton, from drivers and engineers to apprenticeships and future transport innovation.
“Better buses matter. They connect people to work, education, healthcare and our city centre, and I’ll keep working to improve services for communities across Southampton.”
ENDS