Residents, passengers, businesses and community groups in Kendal are being invited to help shape the future of bus services across Cumbria.

A community conversation will take place at Kendal Town Hall on Tuesday 6 October 2026, from 3.30pm to 7.30pm. It is one of six public events being organised as part of the next phase of the Cumbria Bus Reform Pilot Study.

The study is being funded by the Department for Transport and delivered by Westmorland and Furness Council, Cumberland Council, Jacobs and Oxera. It is examining people’s experiences of local buses, their priorities for the future and possible new ways of planning, funding and operating services.

How to share your views

An online questionnaire will be available through the councils’ websites from Monday 5 October until midnight on Sunday 25 October 2026. The councils say it will provide an accessible way for people across Cumbria to share their experiences, priorities and ideas.

The in-person events will also be open to visitors, local organisations, interest groups and communities. Discussions will focus on how bus services could better connect people with jobs, education, healthcare and other essential services.

Residents will also be asked to consider how future arrangements could improve rural connectivity, affordability, accessibility and the overall passenger experience.

Six Cumbria events

  • Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall: Monday 5 October, 2pm to 6pm
  • Kendal Town Hall: Tuesday 6 October, 3.30pm to 7.30pm
  • Penrith Library: Friday 16 October, 12.30pm to 4.30pm
  • Carlisle Library: Saturday 17 October, 10.30am to 2.30pm
  • Keswick Library: Tuesday 20 October, 1.30pm to 4.45pm
  • Workington Library & Community Hub: Wednesday 21 October, 2pm to 6pm

Westmorland and Furness Council said no decisions had been made about how bus services will be organised or delivered in the future. Feedback from the questionnaire and events will be analysed and summarised as part of the pilot study, alongside technical evidence, before potential options and recommendations are developed.

The newly established Cumbria Combined Authority is expected to have an important role in shaping strategic transport priorities across the county in the future.

Cllr Adrian Waite, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Transport, said:

“These community events and the online questionnaire provide people who live, travel and work in Cumbria the chance to have their say and help shape the delivery of the future bus network across the region.”

Cllr Denise Rollo, Cumberland Council’s Portfolio Holder for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said:

“This is an important opportunity for people across Cumbria to share their experiences of local bus services and explain what they need from the network in the future. Local insight is essential to ensuring any future approach reflects the needs of our diverse communities and the unique geography of the county.”