New bus services have been introduced in Stoke-on-Trent in a bid to improve the city’s transport links.

A new bus route will run between Tunstall and Hanley from next Monday, while more journeys have been added to existing services, including overnight and on Sundays.

They form part of Stoke-on-Trent Council’s bus service improvement plan, which has been funded with £31.6 million from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Councilor Finlay Gordon-McCusker said improving the city’s transport was a “key priority” for the authority.

“We now want to reinforce our commitment to improving public transport in the city by incorporating even more new services that will make it easier for residents to access work, university, their jobs and the city centre,” he said.

The new services incorporated by the city council are:

• Service 6A (Blythe Bridge – Meir Park – Meir – Longton – City Centre): additional early morning buses Monday to Friday, operated by First Potteries
• Service 9A (Tunstall – Mill Hill – Bradeley – City Centre): a new service operating every 30 minutes during the day from Monday to Saturday, operated by D&G Bus, from 11 November.
• Service 11 (Longton – Stoke – Newcastle) – night buses on the Longton to Newcastle section of the route Monday to Saturday, operated by D&G Bus
• Service 19/19A (Town Centre – Sneyd Green) – will now serve Cobridge Health Centre, providing a direct link along Leek New Road to and from the Sneyd Green area, operated by Stantons of Stoke.
• Service 21 (City Centre–Stoke–Trentham): new hourly Sunday service operated by First Potteries
• Service 22 (Longton – Blurton – Trentham – Royal Stoke University Hospital – Newcastle) – a new hourly Sunday service, operated by First Potteries with further buses later in the evening, Monday to Saturday, run by D&G Bus
• Service 43 (City Centre–Milton–Baddeley Green): new hourly Sunday service operated by First Potteries