Green light for plans to revolutionise bus travel

Big changes to Torbay’s public transport network are now just a few stops away, after Torbay Council endorsed its plans to revolutionise bus travel.

Members of Torbay Council’s cabinet committee have endorsed an ambitious improvement plan which seeks to get more people using the Bay’s bus services. A key part of this strategy is to electrify Torbay’s buses, which Stagecoach South West Managing Director Peter Knight supported at this year’s Torbay Weekly Business Awards with a multi-million pound investment.

There are nearly six million passengers a year on the bay’s 53 different bus services, provided by Stagecoach, CountryBus, Torbay minibuses and others.

However, a survey found that just 58 per cent of people were satisfied with local services, and only 71 per cent of the buses ran on time.

The aim of the plan is to increase the frequency of buses and get them running long into the evening as well as reducing ticket prices for families and young people and providing better information at bus stops.

Other targets include cutting journey times and improving punctuality.

“This plan will help us to deliver the council’s ambition of improving access for everyone across Torbay, and reducing our carbon output,” said Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton). “It will support better access to our town centres.”

Cllr Nick Bye (Con, Wellswood) said more investment in local buses would help to reverse a recent decline in the number of people using them.

“Any investment in bus services would hopefully reverse this modest decline,” he said. “It is in everybody’s interests to get people on the buses, for the sake of the environment and to ease congestion.”

The council needs to deliver its improvement plan in order to unlock grants towards providing better bus services. The previous version helped unlock more than £7 million from the government towards introducing electric buses into Torbay.

That money will combine with massive investment from Stagecoach to buy 49 new zero-emission buses. It’s hoped that as well as helping to decarbonise the existing fleet of buses in the area and protect the environment, the modern buses will increase reliability and dependability for all bus users.

Newer buses also mean better passenger journeys, including meeting enhanced accessibility standards and providing the latest passenger experience features, such as wifi and USB charging sockets.

Peter Knight, Managing Director for Stagecoach Southwest, explained the investment at the Torbay Business Awards, of which Stagecoach was a sponsor of the Greener Futures Award.

Presenting the award, he said: “Our own journey towards a greener future is also noteworthy here in the Bay. We as an organisation recognise the need to drive decarbonisation and I’m proud to say that we’re converting our entire Torbay bus network to electric, zero-emissions vehicles from 2026.

“This represents a total investment of over £25 million, 80% of which is private investment funded by Stagecoach Group.

“Working with Torbay Council and the Department of Transport, these buses will be on the road in early 2026 representing a step-change in customer experience, cleaning up our air and reducing carbon emissions. That’s a win-win all round.”

The electrification of Torbay’s buses forms the centrepiece for a larger bus service improvement plan, put forward by Torbay Council in line with the National Bus Strategy.

The plan says: “Our ambition for buses in Torbay is for step change in the quality of service and infrastructure. Bus travel will be more affordable, integrated with other forms of transport and accessible to all the community.

“We will strive for carbon neutrality and prioritise bus travel alongside active modes of transport in Torbay, giving genuine choice to our residents and visitors for how they can travel.”