Read: Buses will be cheaper and greener, says Boris Johnson

Millions of people are being promised frequent, cheaper and greener bus services as part of a £3 billion plan that the prime minister has said will be one of the first acts of “levelling up”.

In a reform of the bus sector, services on main routes will be so frequent that traditional timetables will be ditched and it will be easier to change between train and bus, the government said.

Price caps will be introduced so that people can use the bus as many times as they need and all buses will accept contactless payments. Ticketing will be integrated across all modes of public transport, allowing passengers to move easily from bus to train, the Department for Transport said.

It also said that councils and operators would be expected to work together to offer bus services that are so frequent that passengers can just “turn up and go”. The long-awaited strategy will also aim to cut air pollution by encouraging more people to take the bus rather than go by car, with sales of diesel buses to be banned once an end date is agreed after a consultation.

Read the full story in The Times.

Infrastructure for opportunity is one of the 14 Levelling Up Goals launched to set out clear objectives for the UK's Levelling Up challenge.