Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Accepted
Explain targeted skills support and share best practices via Bus Centre of Excellence
Conclusion
The Department could do much more to support local transport authorities with the skills they need and to help them apply relevant good practice. Local transport authorities’ capacity and capability to deliver bus service improvements is not good enough. In 2023, 46% of local authorities rated their capacity as poor. Recognising these constraints, the Department has provided funding for each local transport authority to hire at least one officer for buses. We think that this is clearly insufficient given the increasing responsibilities of local transport authorities for buses. The Department established the Bus Centre of Excellence in 2023, to support the capability needs of local transport authorities, but its work is not sufficiently targeted to the outcomes the Department wants to achieve and the help that is needed. There can be big differences in bus service performance between neighbouring local transport authorities. The Department could do much more to identify success factors and ensure good practice is spread to areas that have similar characteristics. recommendation a. The Department should explain how it will make sure its support is targeted to the skills local transport authorities most need. 5 b. The Department should identify and share, through the Bus Centre of Excellence, best practice that is tailored for areas with similar characteristics.
Government Response Summary
The government plans to significantly expand the role of the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) with increased funding and enhance Transport Focus's role to monitor bus service performance. It will use a survey of LTAs and outcomes data to target support to address identified capability needs.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendations. developing an enhanced role for Transport Focus to monitor bus service performance and outcomes across England using a consistent outcomes framework. This will enable systematic identification of high-performing services and effective practices. Transport Focus will work closely with the Bus Centre of Excellence to ensure these insights inform capability-building activities, training content, and peer learning networks, creating a continuous improvement cycle that helps local transport authorities learn from success and make tangible improvements for bus passengers. Work is ongoing to finalise implementation dates in consultation with Transport Focus, but to be completed within the next Spending Review. The department is working with the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) to ensure that BCoE activities and initiatives build capability and strengthen capacity across the bus sector and promote the vital role that high-quality bus services play in an integrated, inclusive, net- zero transport system. The department plan to significantly expand the role of BCoE, supported by a substantial funding uplift over the Spending Review period. This will enable BCoE to identify, develop, and share best practice tailored to what works most effectively for individual local transport authorities. The department have conducted a survey of local transport authorities to identify capability needs, and the department will use this combined with data from the outcomes framework and delivery reporting to identify where support is most needed. above.