We're working on a pilot study to consider whether bus reform could help improve public transport in Cumbria. Find information about the study and how to get involved with our community conversation and give us your views.
We are working with Cumberland Council on a bus reform pilot study. We have reached the next phase of the study and we're inviting people to join our community conversation to help shape the future of bus services in Cumbria. This includes:
Find out how to join the conversation and give us your views
The pilot study is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT). We are delivering it with Cumberland Council, and Jacobs and Oxera.
The study will assess whether bus reform could improve public transport across Cumbria. It recognises the challenges of providing reliable and accessible bus services in a largely rural area. The study also looks at how the bus network could better support key priorities and outcomes of both councils.
Read our 'what is bus reform?' leaflet (PDF , 364KB)
Find information about the options being considered (PDF , 388KB)
The study has identified a number of draft outcomes for bus reform in Cumbria, which support both council's existing outcomes. This includes a bus network that:
Another draft outcome is for better integration between bus services, other public transport and active travel options.
You can complete a questionnaire to give us your comments, thoughts and feedback.
Complete the bus reform community conversation questionnaire online
The questionnaire is open from Monday 5 October to Sunday 25 October 2026.
We're running six community drop-in events across Cumbria in October 2026. They will give us the chance gather people's views on topics such as their:
The drop-in sessions will be held on:
We will analyse the information we gather from the questionnaire and drop-in events and use it to:
If you would like more information about the pilot study, please email cumbriabusreformpilotstudy@jacobs.com.