Hertfordshire County Council is moving forward with plans to take control of local bus services, aiming to improve reliability and frequency for the more than 17,000 residents across the county who rely on buses as their primary way to get to work.
The move follows unanimous support from councillors on 16 April 2026 for an application to the Department for Transport for extra funding to conduct a formal assessment of the plan. This initiative is part of a national government pilot programme designed to help local authorities take charge of bus routes, fares, and service standards, moving away from the current system where private companies decide which routes to operate based on profit.
Early findings suggest that North and East Hertfordshire, including Stevenage, would be the first area to trial these new powers. This comes at a time when the number of bus journeys in the county has seen a significant decline, falling from 36 million in 2016-17 to around 27 million, with current usage levels remaining below what they were before the pandemic.
The council is working under the framework provided by the Bus Services Act 2025, which allows local transport authorities to take more direct control of their bus networks. To support this work, the council previously secured £360,000 in government funding in October 2025.
Beyond the wider bus network, the council has brought its on-demand minibus service, HertsLynx, in-house. By taking over the management of this service, which connects rural villages to town centres, the council aims to reduce costs and integrate it more closely with wider community transport efforts.
A further update on the progress of the franchising assessment will be presented to the council’s Environment, Transport and Growth panel in June 2026.
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