Bus station set for £4m improvement project

Derby Bus Station is set to receive £4m of upgrades aimed at improving passenger safety.

The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) approved funding for the project on Monday from a pot of almost £300m for transport improvements.

Documents said the works to the station, on the Morledge, would include fixing "unreliable" automatic doors and "unsafe" seating.

Money will also be spent on electric buses, upgraded bus stations and shelters, safer walking and cycling routes, and improved real-time travel information.

EMCCA said the funding would "deliver a safer and more modern passenger experience" for those using the bus station, and the wider funding would "transform travel across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire".

The bus station is one of the city centre's busiest spots, with reports saying more than one million passengers use it each year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Details about the upgrade in EMCCA papers said: "Derby Bus Station, a key regional interchange with 29 bays and 1.5m annual passengers, requires further upgrades beyond recent TCF (Transforming Cities Fund) improvements.

"The scheme will fix unreliable automatic doors, unsafe seating and drainage/apron defects, while ensuring full DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) and building regulation compliance to maintain a safe, functional and high-quality passenger environment."

Millions of pounds worth of funding will also upgrade 120 bus stops across the city with new shelters, improving stops, and installing real-time information displays.

Design work for new walking and cycling routes near the A38 and Station Road in Mickleover is also in the pipeline.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward said: "By improving key bus routes, upgrading bus stops and stations, and enhancing active travel networks, we're helping communities to be better connected to jobs, training opportunities, and each other."

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