Investing in buses will unlock city’s potential

When speaking to people in Hanley, Fenton, Stoke or Longton – or the communities in between – about what they think is a priority for our city and more often than not we’ll get onto the topics of buses.

And when we do, I hear the same thing time and time again – reliability, affordability, and connections that actually work for local people.

For too long, buses have been treated as an afterthought by national decision-makers. But here in Stoke-on-Trent, we know the truth. Our local bus network isn’t just a collection of routes on a timetable – it is the absolute lifeblood of our local economy and the lifeline for so many people who use public transport to meet their friends, get to community events and explore the city.

If we are serious about bringing prosperity back to Stoke-on-Trent, we must get our public transport right. We cannot build a thriving local economy if workers can’t reliably get to their shifts. Right now, too many of our residents are locked out of job opportunities simply because there isn’t a bus that gets them to where they need to be for a 6am shift or if their potential place of work is outside the immediate town centres.

The same goes for those who work in the hospitality industry and need buses to bring them home safely from a late night. The bus companies do what they can. They are investing in new routes and, through the Government backed bus improvement partnership, there are improvements.

We know that when buses are frequent and affordable, they connect local people to local jobs, bring shoppers straight into our town centres, and give our high streets the footfall they desperately need.

Expanding and improving our bus routes is one of the single most effective economic interventions we can make. It keeps money circulating in our local shops, supports our small businesses, and ensures that hard-working families don’t have to spend a fortune on running a car just to get to work.

Yet, the value of a strong bus service goes far beyond pounds and pence. It is about the social fabric of Stoke-on-Trent. We have six towns and dozens of places in between and that’s before we look at the wider North Staffordshire connections.

Buses are a powerful engine for community cohesion. They are where neighbours bump into each other, where elderly residents stay connected to their towns, and where young people gain their independence – which was supported by the Government’s free travel for under 16s this summer.

For many of our elderly and disabled residents, the local bus is their primary lifeline – the difference between feeling part of a vibrant community and facing the crushing weight of social isolation. When a bus route is cut, it isn’t just an inconvenience. It cuts people off from their families, their doctor, and their social circles.

We cannot afford to leave any corner of our city isolated. Rebuilding our public transport network means ensuring that every neighbourhood has access to clean, reliable, and accessible transport.

That is why we need greater local control over our bus services, better integration across our transport networks, and sustainable funding that puts passengers before profit. We need a system designed around the needs of the people who live and work here.

Stoke-on-Trent has always been a city built on pride, hard work, and strong communities.

By investing in our bus network, we can unlock our city’s full economic potential and build a more connected city for everyone. It’s time to get Stoke-on-Trent moving again.