Select committee: Transport Committee
Conclusion 10
Fourth Report - Implementation of the National Bus Strategy
Published 30 Mar 2023
Paragraph 101
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee National bus strategy: one year on All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We support the Government’s ambition to have 4,000 new zero-emission buses on the road in the UK by the end of this Parliament and welcome the funding it has allocated to meet this aim. However, it seems increasingly unlikely it will meet its target, given how few of these vehicles are now on the road. Currently the funding process is slow and piecemeal. It is too easy for local authorities to put off placing orders despite being given the money to do so and too difficult for UK manufacturers to invest with confidence in new types of vehicle and new manufacturing hubs. In some cases, orders using tens of millions of pounds of public money are being made to overseas manufacturers, with a commensurate impact on domestic vehicle production and threat to the UK bus industry. UK bus manufacturers have called on UK ZEB funding schemes to incentivise UK ZEB orders over overseas orders thereby supporting UK manufacturing. We support those calls and call on the Government to work with the sector to facilitate such incentives.
From: Transport Committee, Fourth Report - Implementation of the National Bus Strategy (HC 161), paragraph 101, 30 March 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 22 June 2023 (deadline 30 May 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response welcomes the report and states that it is "absolutely committed to delivering the aims of the National Bus Strategy", with recommendations variously accepted, partially accepted or noted.
- On Enhanced Partnerships (Recommendation 2), it "accepts this recommendation" and says it is working with local transport authorities and operators "to monitor how well they are working".
- On guidance and municipal bus companies (Recommendation 3), it accepts the recommendations on franchising and municipal companies and partially accepts the one on socially and economically necessary services, planning to publish new guidance "during this Parliament".
- On zero-emission buses (Recommendation 4), it "partially accepts", says it will "shortly make an announcement on the end of sales date", and says it will "explore any future innovation with an open mind" on synthetic fuels.
- On Bus Service Operators Grant reform (Recommendation 5), it "partially accepts" and will publish a consultation "later this year", but says it "cannot confirm the exact content of the reformed BSOG" until evidence is analysed.