Local bus services in England

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 6 May 2025 Parliament page
Local bus services are the most used form of public transport. The Department for Transport published its national bus strategy for England, Bus Back Better , in 2021. Government strategy has sought to make buses more frequent, reliable, better coordinated and cheaper, alongside supporting post-pandemic recovery. While bus services are … Read more
16 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
14 May
2026
Correspondence
19 Jan
2026
Report published
29 Oct
2025
Report published
4 Sep
2025
Correspondence
17 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
17 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
17 Jul 2025
View on parliament.uk
Conrad Bailey · Department for Transport Jo Shanmugalingam · Department for Transport Stephen Fidler · Department for Transport
Title HC No. Published Items Response
50th Report - Local bus services in England HC 892 29 Oct 2025 29 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
Clear
24 Conclusion Acknowledged
50th Report - Local bus services i…
Reduced bus usage by older and disabled people is not assured as genuine choice.
Older and disabled people are taking far fewer bus journeys than other passengers relative to pre-COVID bus usage; the number of concessionary journeys by older and disabled passengers is 29% lower than before COVID. The Department explained that fare paying … Read more
Government Response
The response outlines potential factors contributing to the decrease in concessionary journeys, including discretionary travel, cost of living, and a shift to online activities. They will provide a further update to the committee within six months.
HM Treasury
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29 Conclusion
50th Report - Local bus services i…
Digital exclusion poses challenges for demand-responsive transport uptake and cost-effectiveness.
One digitally enabled service the Department has been supporting in 17 rural areas is demand-responsive transport, where smaller buses or taxis provide a link from rural areas into local towns. Passengers use an app to request journey times in advance.72 … Read more
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 28 of 16 classified
Accepted 23
Acknowledged 1
Deferred 2
Not Addressed 2
Total 16 recs + 13 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
14 May 2026 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport relating to Local bus services in England, 29 April 2026
Parliament page
4 Sep 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the oral evidence session held on 17 July, Local bus services in England, follow up, 31 July 2025
Parliament page