Chesterfield bus services Archives - Destination Chesterfield

Chesterfield to benefit from extra bus services

5th April 2023

Two bus services that operate in and around Chesterfield now have more services and extended routes from 27 March 2023 thanks to government funding.

Service 55 (which currently goes from Alfreton to Chesterfield via Tibshelf) has been extended to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and the train station every day. It has also been extended to Wimsey Way industrial estate in Somercotes morning and evenings, Monday to Saturdays, so that workers can use the bus to get to and from their jobs.

Later evening services have also been added, with the last bus leaving Chesterfield at 11:15pm (previously 6.15pm) and Alfreton at 10:15pm (previously 6:30pm). On Sundays there are three later services with the last bus being 11:15pm.

Service 170 (which previously went from Chesterfield to Bakewell) has been extended from New Beetwell Street, Chesterfield, to the train station and there are extra evening journeys at 7pm, 9pm and 11pm from Chesterfield (previous last bus 6:15pm) and 8pm, 10pm and midnight in the other direction (previously last bus 6:15pm).

These three late buses have also been extended from Bakewell to Matlock to fill a gap between these two towns Monday to Saturday.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, said: “I’m delighted that the extra money we have had from the government has enabled us to make these improvements.

“I’m sure that they will be welcomed by those who currently use these 2 services, and that more people will be encouraged to try the bus instead of using their cars.

“We were awarded £47 million by the government to improve bus services in Derbyshire over the next few years, and these are the first 2 services to gain extra money.”

Both services are operated by Hulleys of Baslow. The total cost of the extra services to the council is £558,445 over the 3 years of the Bus Service Improvement Plan programme.

£47 million confirmed to improve bus services in Derbyshire

15th August 2022

£47 million has been awarded to Derbyshire County Council to improve bus services over the next two and a half years.

Last year the Government published a new National Bus Strategy which set out a vision for future improvements across England and how bus services can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy placed a requirement on the County Council and bus companies in the area to work together to create a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

Working with bus operators, district and borough councils, bus passenger groups, disability groups, and other special interest organisations a consultation was held last year, which asked the public what they wanted to see to improve bus services. The results helped to inform the BSIP which was submitted to the Government last year and asked for money to improve services across the county.

Derbyshire’s success in gaining £47 million provides the money which will help pay for:

More frequent buses and extended hours for vital services
Improved bus punctuality and reliability
Better value bus fares, especially for young people and those looking for work
Expansion of the ‘tap on and tap off’ system for paying for tickets
New transport hubs with Real Time Information to help connect bus services to other bus and train services
More demand-responsive services for rural and semi-rural areas
A new website and app which will cover all services to make planning a journey much easier

It is expected that work will start on delivering these improvements from October 2022.

Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport, Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, said: “To have the money finally confirmed is great news for everyone in the county.

“Bus services will become so much more attractive to more people and will mean less traffic on our roads. This will make a positive contribution to our approach to tackling climate change.

“We will build on the positive work to date and continue to work in partnership with all the bus companies on a wide range of projects to improve bus travel.”

A partnership board, the BSIP Enhanced Partnership Board, has been set up to deliver the actions in the BSIP. It is chaired by Professor Margaret Bell, with Jeff Counsell, Managing Director of Trentbarton the vice chair.

Professor Margaret Bell CBE said: “This funding is the outcome of a lot of hard work and commitment of council officers and public transport operators who will continue to work together to make public transport a realistic alternative to the use of private cars in the future delivering substantial benefits to health.”

Jeff Counsell added: “The allocation of this funding just goes to show what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work together for a common cause. I know that we, and all bus operators, are looking forward to delivering the BSIP outcomes in continued partnership with the county.”

Find out more about Chesterfield’s excellent transport networks and connectivity at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/getting-here/