Select Committee · Transport Committee

National bus strategy: one year on

Status: Closed Opened: 4 Mar 2022 Closed: 22 Jun 2023 8 recommendations 10 conclusions 1 report

A Transport Select Committee inquiry to scrutinise the implementation of the Government’s national bus strategy. as set out in Bus Back Better: national bus strategy for England published in March 2021 and to examine the challenges faced by the sector as it recovers from the pandemic. Read the call for evidence for more details on …

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Fourth Report - Implementation of the National Bus Strategy	HC 161	30 Mar 2023	18	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items

1 Conclusion Fourth Report - Implementation of the N… Accepted

The Bus Service Improvement Plan process has brought out the best in many local transport...

The Bus Service Improvement Plan process has brought out the best in many local transport authorities and bus operators. We have been impressed by the ideas and innovation produced and the enthusiasm and commitment shown. We note the prevalence of bus priority plans as part of urban bids and demand-responsive …

Government response. The government highlights existing funding and programmes, including £160m additional funding through a Bus Service Improvement Plan plus (BSIP+) mechanism and £8.8 billion to transform local transport networks in city regions across England.

Department for Transport

3 Conclusion Fourth Report - Implementation of the N… Accepted

The publication of the National Bus Strategy was greeted with enthusiasm across the country, but...

The publication of the National Bus Strategy was greeted with enthusiasm across the country, but this has dissipated in the many areas which received no funding to put their ambitious plans into action. Allowing roughly half the country to miss out risks entrenching, and in some cases creating, a two-tier …

Government response. The government has commissioned a Bus Transformation evaluation to understand which interventions improve bus services, assess the impact and effectiveness of BSIPs and wider bus investments, and identify best practices, with final findings due in March 2025.

Department for Transport

18 Recommendation Fourth Report - Implementation of the N… Accepted

Away from the National Bus Strategy, the sector is in a tough spot.

Away from the National Bus Strategy, the sector is in a tough spot. Post-pandemic, many people’s lives have changed, and this has altered, perhaps permanently, when and where they wish to travel. Reduced patronage has left many services hanging by a thread, dependent on further extensions of the Government’s ostensibly …

Government response. The government states it continues to support the sector's recovery with over £2bn in emergency and recovery funding since the pandemic's start and is working on a long-term plan after the Bus Recovery Grant ends.

Department for Transport

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions

Date	Witnesses
29 Jun 2022	Stephen Fidler · Department for Transport, The Baroness Vere of Norbiton · Department for Transport	View ↗
8 Jun 2022	Alistair Hands · Arriva Group, Martin Dean · Go-Ahead Group, Mr Peter Freedman · Switch Mobility, Paul Turner · Transdev Blazefield Ltd, Tanya Sinclair · Chargepoint	View ↗
18 May 2022	Councillor David Renard · Local Government Association, Councillor Steven Broadbent · Buckinghamshire Council, Councillor Tony Page · Reading Borough Council, Linda McCord · Transport Focus, Peter Bond · Transport for the West Midlands, Peter Hardy · Integrated Transport Planning	View ↗

Correspondence

2 letters

Date	Direction	Title
12 Oct 2022	—	Correspondence from Minister of State for Roads, Buses and Places, Department f…
7 Sep 2022	—	Correspondence from the Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, Department for Tr…