BUS services in West Devon are to be boosted by a further £293,000 thanks to a joint bid for Government funding submitted by Devon County Council with bus operator First Devon Cornwall. Joint bids between the council and bus companies have secured £1,043,000 countywide in the Kickstart Bus Competition run by the Department for Transport, other improvements focusing on Exeter. Devon County Council executive member for environment, Cllr Margaret Rogers, said: ?I welcome this success. Once again, the county council, working in partnership with bus operators, is bringing further improvements to bus services in Devon.? The West Devon scheme is called the Tavy Gold Line and £293,000 will allow bus services between Tavistock, Yelverton, Derriford Hospital and Plymouth to be upgraded. The frequency will increase to four buses per hour with faster, direct journeys at work times. The service will be operated by refurbished low-floor, fully accessible, route-branded buses and, to ensure consistent high-quality service, a dedicated route manager will be responsible for day-to-day operations. New attractively-priced season and weekly ticket deals will also be offered to passengers. Gerald Taylor, managing director of First Devon Cornwall, said: ?This is excellent news. First is pleased to be working in partnership with the county council to deliver service improvements on the key Plymouth to Tavistock corridor. ?This will allow us to introduce a more frequent timetable with improved buses and a dedicated route manager to ensure a quality service.?
