Funding for buses to cover the gap until people come back to them next month

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From

government extends coronavirus support for bus and tram operators across England as part of wider efforts to safely get people back to education and work spaces

new model will provide rolling support for bus operators with up to £218.4 million guaranteed over the next 8 weeks

five tram systems in the North and Midlands to receive funding of up to £37.4 million over the next 12 weeks

Noting within the text that this is intended as an interim measure based on an expectation of passengers coming back (my bolding here):

England’s bus and tram services will receive extra support worth up to £256 million to help them ramp up services ahead of expected increases in public transport use in September, the government has announced today (8 August 2020).

Currently, passenger numbers on bus and light rail services are significantly below normal levels despite the bus network now running at over 80% of normal service levels. The 5 light rail systems are also running at similar levels. The funding announced today will enable operators to mitigate the impact of the loss of revenue, while continuing to build back to normal service levels.