The MP for Hitchin has welcomed news of an extra £1 billion of funding from the Government for bus services, with more than £15 million going to Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

This money will create new routes, new buses and new jobs.

The £1bn nationwide will be spent over the next two years and aims to maintain and upgrade urban services, while expanding rural services.

The announcement comes as part of the Government’s biggest reforms to bus services in 40 years, with more funding, an extension of the fare cap, and reforms to ensure communities own and run their bus services.

Hitchin MP Alistair Strathern said: "Growing up in the Bedfordshire countryside, and now representing our rural area, I know just how vital connectivity is, and how so often it has lacks for so many.

"The economic, social, environmental and mental wellbeing benefits of increasing rural public transport are huge for communities like ours.

"I look forward to working with local councils to make sure this money goes as far as possible.

"I am proud to support Labour’s wider plans to provide a generational uplift to our bus network."

Recently, Alistair successfully campaigned for the 101 bus to resume stopping in Lilley, in the south of his constituency.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: "Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken. Too often, passengers are left waiting hours for buses that don’t turn up, and some have been cut off altogether.

"That’s why we’re reforming funding to deliver better buses across the country and end the postcode lottery of bus services.

"It’s also why we’re providing over £1bn of funding to keep fares down, protect local routes and deliver more reliable services."