Recommendation 9

We welcome the Government’s plans to phase out non-zero-emission buses. It will be expensive and, in the short-term at least, difficult on longer and more rural routes, but it is necessary. However, we note that decarbonising buses will only take the Government so far towards its objective. Wider transport decarbonisation will require it to achieve the aims of the Strategy by increasing bus usage and therefore achieve modal shift from the private car. This ultimately depends on provision of reliable, frequent services. A debate should be had about whether this would be supported by a Department for Transport target to reduce car usage in England by the end of the decade, such as those seen in Scotland and Wales.