£1.9m set to be invested in bus services

Bus services in Wokingham Borough are set to get a £1.9million boost in the years ahead. 

Most of the money will be spent on making services run more often and for longer, with the rest spent on measures like improving bus stops.

All these projects have been identified through the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and emerging Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4).

The work is funded through bus grants from the Department for Transport, with all money spent by March 2027 at the latest, as well as through developer contributions via new housing.

Free buses at Christmas and cheap summer travel for young people

Wokingham Borough Council is also looking to agree the return of free bus travel on Saturdays in the run up to Christmas, for a third year. 

There will also be a new scheme to provide cheaper bus travel to young people during the 2025 summer school holidays, with more information to come on this in due course.

Changes are based on more than 250 residents’ feedback through Social Care Futures, talking with young people and the council’s Local Transport Plan consultations. 

It means residents have shaped changes they want to see, with the bus set to be more accessible to more people and with barriers to using services being removed. The full list of improvements include:

• Continue funding for Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride service to run every 15 minutes
• More evening and Sunday services including on route 850 and route 3, ensuring residents can access what they need to when it suits them, as well as better supporting travel for shift workers and supporting our evening economy
• Protecting and funding services we currently support until March 2026, including helping manage inflation impacts on services around and into Wokingham, as well as the Little Orange services for Woodley, Earley and Lower Earley
• Continue to work with partners and community to identify how we can improve access to bus services and bus stops ready for future funding allocations
• Help with journey planning and materials to support people knowing where buses go and how often 

Investing where it matters to residents

There will also be new and improved bus stops for Shinfield, Spencers Wood and Arborfield, as well as improved signage across park and ride sites in Wokingham Borough.

The funding will also improve accessibility to key information on services and supporting target groups to be more independent, including residents with disabilities and young people.

Councillors will review and agree the funding at an executive meeting next week (27 March).

Cllr Martin Alder, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: “This investment in bus services and other projects across our borough will help give residents more choice in how they get around.

“We’ve spoken with hundreds of locals to shape these choices and I am sure they’ll make a huge difference across our communities - especially for young people and others who may not be able to travel independently in any other way.

“Better bus services help us reduce congestion for those who can only travel by car, as well as helping us improve air quality as the borough aims for carbon neutrality by 2030.”

Route 3 improvements and better bus access for disabled residents

It follows a recent announcement on improving bus access for disabled residents and improvements to weekday and Saturday services on route 3, linking Wokingham with Barkham, Finchampstead and Arborfield.

There have also been improvements to connections between the Twyford area and Reading, Maidenhead and beyond.

Carousel Buses' 127 service has begun up to every hour on weekdays between Maidenhead, Knowl Hill, Twyford and Reading, starting on 23 February. 

This is coordinated with the 850 service from Reading to High Wycombe via Henley and Marlow, which calls at Sonning, Charvil, Twyford and Wargrave.

The 850, also run by Carousel, runs up to three times an hour on weekdays between Twyford and Reading, while the evening and Sunday services are now running up to every 30 minutes. 

We're supporting the evening and Sunday improvements to the 850, as are our counterparts at Buckinghamshire Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

The council will be reviewing all bus services in the borough over the next 12 months. As part of the review we will be talking to many more residents so that residents will continue to be able to shape future decisions.