Southampton's £1 evening bus fare scheme is due to remain in place until 2025, the city council has confirmed.

The subsidised fare is among several schemes being funded with a £1.2m award from the Department of Transport.

The money is going toward the council's bus services for the next two years, and will see a boost to the frequency of buses to Harefield, Thornhill, Shirley, and Lordshill.

A new service could also connect the city centre with the Outdoor Sports Centre, Lordshill and University Hospital Southampton via Hill Lane.

Information at bus stops is also being improved as part of the scheme.

Richard Tyldsley, Bluestar general manager, said: “Together with Southampton City Council, our team has worked hard to secure government funding support, which will help to make sustainable travel an even more attractive option across the city.

“We strongly believe buses are the perfect solution for reducing congestion and improving air quality in the area and the Bus Service Improvement Plan will play a significant role in achieving this.”

The improvement in bus connections will help pupils at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College who have no direct route into college except by using the college minibus.

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Angela Berry, CEO of Lighthouse Learning Trust, which includes sixth form college on Hill Lane, said: “This new service will provide more opportunities for students to study in Southampton with an easier, more environmentally friendly journey.

“It will also support the communities we serve to access training and all that the vibrant city of Southampton has to offer.”

The overall scheme ties in with the bus infrastructure improvements including the Central Station Interchange, Albion Place bus hub and the bus gates at East Park Terrace and Portland Terrace.

Daily Echo: The proposed plans for Albion Place car park Image: Southampton City CouncilCouncillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said that the council and its partners, Bluestar, First Solent, Xelabus, and Unilink, are committed to making bus travel more affordable, accessible and frequent.

He said: “This Government funding is helping to achieve that and by making bus travel more reliable and more affordable through the BSIP, we can help people to make greener and more sustainable choices when travelling in the city.

“Just one full double-decker bus has the potential to take up to 75 cars off the road which will have the added benefit of making journeys easier for all road users."