Some 37 councils have been awarded £7.6m of government funding to deliver integrated transport in rural and isolated areas.
Winners of the Total Transport Pilot Fund include Northamptonshire CC, which was awarded the largest sum of £750,000 to launch studies and pilots into joined up services across outlying areas.
A total of 42 local authorities submitted bids for the orginal £4m Department for Transport (DfT) fund following its launch on 14 January.
Transport minister, Patrick McLoughlin, today confirmed the winners of the expanded fund included Surrey CC would receive £490,000, Cambridgeshire CC £460,000, Cheshire East BC £453,144 and Lincolnshire £400,000.
Gloucestershire CC was awarded £350,000 and Somerset CC £305,000, while Devon, Nottinghamshire and Norfolk were all given £300,000.
Mr McLoughlin claimed the money dedicated to the schemes would provide a more stable source of funding from a single source for transport improvements in comparison to what is currently available.
While around £2bn is currently provided every year through numerous agencies for local transport, the Government claimed this sum often went uncoordinated and resulted in duplication of services.
Mr McLoughlin said: ‘Good transport is the lifeblood of local communities and we must ensure every penny spent is being used effectively. This is about improving access to the services people rely on most, from getting to school, to the shops or the local hospital.’
Chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, added: ‘As someone from a rural area, I know the vital importance of well-functioning public transport in helping people get around their local community, whether to do business, go to school or meet friends and family.
He said the funding would see councils working ‘with schools, hospitals and other local organisations to deliver local services more efficiently, meaning that they will be able offer people across the country better transport services while saving the taxpayer money'.
The full list of winning bids:
Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority – £18,000
Surrey County Council - £490,000
Devon County Council - £300,000
Nottinghamshire County Council - £300,000
Lincolnshire County Council - £400,000
Sheffield City Region - £170,000
Northumberland County Council - £250,000
West Berkshire District Council - £196,000
Dorset County Council - £180,000
Warwickshire County Council - £119,150
North Somerset Council - £120,000
North Yorkshire County Council - £120,097
Leicestershire County Council - £75,000
Worcestershire County Council - £85,000
Northamptonshire County Council - £750,000
Norfolk County Council - £300,000
Somerset County Council - £305,000
Cornwall County Council - £281,000
Staffordshire County Council - £130,000
Cheshire East Borough Council - £453,144
Suffolk County Council - £190,000
Rutland County Council - £100,000
South Gloucestershire Council -£ 150,000
