Milton Keynes City Council and local bus operators have launched a free ‘hopper service’, connecting MK Central Station to Unity Place, centre:mk and the Theatre District among other venues in the city centre.
The bus companies taking part include Arriva, Uno, Stagecoach, Red Rose Travel and Z&S Transport. The ‘hopper’ can be accessed on all bus stops from Station Square to Theatre District. Passengers simply need to ask for a ‘hopper’ fare when they board a bus belonging to any of the participating firms.
The free ‘hopper’ is available now until 31 March 2024 . It’s being funded using government money provided from the Bus Improvement Plan. This is a partnership between government, bus operators and the city council to understand passenger requirements and deliver a better service. The government funding is not designed to save routes at risk, but instead deliver concessionary schemes decided by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Last month MK City Council launched a separate campaign to grow passenger numbers on seven bus routes.
We hope this initiative will help visitors to the city centre, especially as we approach the festive season, and following the opening of Unity Place – which we know is already very popular. We fully support the project, but we know this funding will only provide temporary relief. We’ll continue to campaign for the right funding with greater powers on how it is spent to deliver meaningful services.”