Buses connecting communities
Transport Committee
Closed
Inquiry
In many parts of the country, bus services and passenger numbers are in decline. The Transport Committee will examine the role of buses in connecting rural communities with nearby towns and suburban areas. The inquiry will evaluate the effectiveness of recent Government policy in tackling the decline in bus services. …
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15
Recommendations
18
Conclusions
1
Report
4
Oral sessions
5
Events
Activity timeline 11 events
31 Oct
2025
2025
13 Aug
2025
2025
Report published
14 May
2025
2025
Oral evidence
14 May
2025
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
29 Apr
2025
2025
Formal meeting (private meeting) · The Macmillan Room, Portcullis House
26 Mar
2025
2025
Oral evidence
26 Mar
2025
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
12 Mar
2025
2025
Oral evidence
12 Mar
2025
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
26 Feb
2025
2025
Oral evidence
26 Feb
2025
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
14 May 2025
View on parliament.uk
Simon Lightwood MP · Department for Transport
Stephen Fidler · Department for Transport
26 Mar 2025
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Alistair Hands · Arriva Group
Graham Vidler · Confederation of Passenger Transport
Judith Barker · Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
Martin Dean · The Go-Ahead Group
Miriam Binsztok · Cornwall Council
Mr Damien Jones · Local Government Association
Mrs Naomi Green · England's Economic Heartland
Stephen Rhodes · Transport for Greater Manchester
12 Mar 2025
View on parliament.uk
Caroline Whitney · Community Transport Association
James West · Padam Mobility
Max Sugarman · Intelligent Transport Systems UK
26 Feb 2025
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Andrew Summers · Transport East
Mr Ben Simm · Leicestershire County Council
Paul Miner · CPRE - The Countryside Charity
Professor Karen Lucas · University of Manchester
Robert Morton · Unite the Union
Silviya Barrett · Campaign for Better Transport
Simon Mathieson · First bus
Stephen Frost · Institute of Public Policy Research
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Report – Buses connecting communities | HC 494 | 13 Aug 2025 | 33 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
8
Recommendation
Accepted
3rd Report – Buses connecting comm…
Reform the Bus Service Operators Grant to incentivise ridership growth in under-served areas.
The Department should, as soon as practicable, reform the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG). The overarching goal of reform should be to incentivise growth in ridership, particularly across under-served areas, for example instead of mileage the grant could be based …
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Government Response
The government states it has already taken steps to reform BSOG, including incentives for zero-emission buses and devolving parts of the budget to LTAs. It agrees on growing ridership but expresses caution about passenger-based metrics.
Department for Transport
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18
Conclusion
Accepted
3rd Report – Buses connecting comm…
Local authorities face capacity challenges in implementing bus franchising reforms
We welcome the Government’s ambition to enable local transport authorities to undertake franchising. However, many local authorities continue to face operational and capacity challenges which may be further strained by implementing such a complex reform. The Department must take a …
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Government Response
The government commits over £1 billion in the Autumn 2024 Budget to support and improve bus services and keep fares affordable in 2025/26, stating it will empower and support local authorities to deliver its vision for bus services.
Department for Transport
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20
Conclusion
Accepted
3rd Report – Buses connecting comm…
Lack of early access to operator data hinders bus franchising decisions
Lack of access to consistent data about current services to support business cases creates an unnecessary barrier to franchising. The Department’s approach puts the cart before the horse: local authorities need access to the full range of relevant information before …
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Government Response
The government states that local transport authorities already have statutory data powers, requiring operators to provide necessary data for franchising assessments. It clarifies that this will be further detailed in the next revision of the franchising guidance.
Department for Transport
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33
Recommendation
Accepted
3rd Report – Buses connecting comm…
Introduce a new regional bus performance metric to compare services and benchmark progress.
This vision should also be complemented by a new regional performance metric that enables meaningful comparison of services across different parts of the country. The metric should cover key indicators such as service frequency, reliability and passenger satisfaction, and it …
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Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation and will implement a new regional performance metric through Outcomes Frameworks for Mayoral Strategic Authorities and a Bus Indicator Pilot, which will be extended to all LTAs from April 2026. This system will cover key indicators for comparison and benchmarking, with data made publicly accessible.
Department for Transport
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