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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Local bus services in England

Status: Open Opened: 6 May 2025 16 recommendations 13 conclusions 1 report

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 mostly run on a commercial …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
50th Report - Local bus services in England HC 892 29 Oct 2025 29 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
24 Conclusion 50th Report - Local bus services in Eng… Acknowledged

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 passenger journeys are nearly at pre-COVID levels. However, because concessionary …

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
29 Conclusion 50th Report - Local bus services in Eng…

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 Demand responsive transport can provide a minimum level of transport …

HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
17 Jul 2025 Conrad Bailey · Department for Transport, Jo Shanmugalingam · Department for Transport, Stephen Fidler · Department for Transport View ↗

Correspondence

2 letters
DateDirectionTitle
14 May 2026 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport relating to…
4 Sep 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to…