Recommendation 31

We welcome the Government’s reforms aimed at devolving greater control to local authorities. This will not on its own, however, be a sufficient vehicle for delivering all the positive outcomes the Minister described as wanting for bus services. There is no consensus that structural reform alone can achieve aims such as increased connectivity, better integration, and more affordable journeys. Given the diversity of regional and local priorities, a national statement of strategic goals is needed to provide clear direction and coherence, setting out not only the Government’s ambitions for the bus network, but also the pathway for achieving them. Without this, the risk remains that delivery will be uneven and the wider policy aims of reform left unmet. (Conclusion, Paragraph 116)