Travel strategies

We produce strategies for travel, transport and highways in Thurrock.

Documents on developing an Enhanced Partnership for bus services are at the end of this page.

Transport strategies, policies and plans

We are currently working on a new interim Thurrock Transport Strategy (TTS).

We arranged a 'screening' exercise in June 2022 to check whether we would need to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) on the potential environmental effects of the new strategy. This exercise found that a SEA is needed.

As the first step in carrying out a full SEA, we have prepared a 'scoping' report. This report sets out our approach and includes relevant environmental, economic and social information. We consulted on this report from 13 June 2022 to 15 July 2022.

Our SEA screening and scoping documents can be downloaded below.

Highway strategies, policies and plans

Traffic management and air quality

Funding applications

Department for Transport COVID-19 Bus Service Support Grant

Under the government's COVID-19 Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG) restart scheme set-up by the Department for Transport (DfT), funding was provided to replace lost revenue on Thurrock Council tendered bus services 11, 265 and 374.

This covered the period from 9 June 2020 to 31 August 2021.

A total of £41,814.94 was paid under the scheme to the operator of the 3 services. These services covered a total of 321,848.7km during the operation of the scheme.

Enhanced Partnership for bus services

Thurrock Council, under delegated authority of its portfolio holder for transport, has approval to proceed with the development of an Enhanced Partnership. An Enhanced Partnership is an opportunity for us to work more closely with bus operators and other partners to improve bus services within the borough.

Under the government's national bus strategy, published in March 2021, we are required to enter into an Enhanced Partnership to make using the bus more attractive for residents, workers and visitors in Thurrock. This includes improving bus routes, bus frequencies and fares – for example:

• making improvements that avoid buses becoming stuck in congestion, resulting in faster journeys
• increasing how often buses run on the most popular routes
• reducing the cost of using the bus through daily and weekly fare caps

Through its national bus strategy, the government wants buses to be used more widely. The Enhanced Partnership gives us a bigger say in how this can happen. For about more the national bus strategy and the Enhanced Partnership process, go to GOV.UK: Bus back better – national bus strategy.

Stage 1, 30 June 2021 – the above notice confirms our intention to prepare an Enhanced Partnership plan and accompanying Enhanced Partnerships schemes, as required and set out in section 138F of the Transport Act 2000.

Stage 2, 31 October 2021 – we have published a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), below, which sets out how, in collaboration with bus operators, we are looking to make improvements to bus service provision in the borough. The BSIP has been developed through feedback from bus users and residents, and from bus operators within Thurrock.

Stage 3 – we will next progress the development of the Enhanced Partnership, which is due to be published in March 2022.