LEICESTER City Council and the city's bus operators have reaffirmed their commitment to delivering better bus services through a new £75 million phase of transformation.
Representatives from the city council and the city’s seven bus operators gathered at Jewry Wall Museum, to sign a joint declaration supporting a proposed new One Network Partnership.
The agreement, which is subject to final approval, will guide £75 million of new investment in Leicester’s bus services between September 2026 and March 2030.
It is intended to build on the success of the current Leicester Buses Partnership which has already transformed bus travel across the city with over £150 million of investment.
The new One Network Partnership agreement will continue to deliver a simpler, more integrated bus network that is electric, frequent, reliable, easy and great value for passengers.
Future improvements include further investment in electric buses, upgraded bus stops with real-time passenger information, improved bus priority measures, simpler ticketing and better customer information.
By the end of 2027, the whole Leicester’s entire bus network will be electric, with real time information displays at all main bus stops.
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "It's been just over four years since we formally launched the Leicester Bus Partnership.
“It was something I had been wanting to do for many years – constrained as we were by the Government’s deregulation of bus services in the 1980s, which left councils with little input into local commercial bus services.
“Four years on, we can see the huge transformation that this partnership and £150m of investment have achieved.
“In Leicester, we have a partnership that's probably the most successful in the country - and it's been done at a fraction of the cost of franchising.
“Now we're committing to a new partnership that will guide a further £75m of investment into the bus network, up to 2030.
“My thanks go to everyone who has made this possible, particularly the bus operators, who deserve credit for the way they have worked so collaboratively to bring about enormous benefits to Leicester bus users."
The signing ceremony followed a public event in Jubilee Square where people where invited to explore some of Leicester's latest buses, meet operators and find out more about the future of bus travel in the city.
Since 2022, Leicester's bus partnership has delivered a range of improvements for passengers, including all-operator Flexi tickets with contactless fare capping, the free Hop! city centre bus service, integrated timetables on shared corridors, significant investment in electric buses, and major improvements to bus stops and passenger information.
The proposed One Network Partnership will continue that collaborative approach, bringing together Leicester City Council and operators Arriva, Centrebus, Central Connect, First Bus, Kinchbus,Roberts Travel and Stagecoach to deliver an improved and better integrated bus network for Leicester.