Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Accepted
Department's inadequate monitoring hinders identification and support for under-performing bus service areas.
Recommendation
Local transport authorities achieve very different levels of bus service and the Department’s lack of monitoring means it cannot identify under-performing areas and help them improve.31 The Department does not have standard measures or defined outcomes for reliability, affordability, frequency or other factors passengers value. The data it does collect are too late or inconsistent between local areas.32 We asked the Department which data it needs in order to identify which areas require most help. The Department acknowledged that it needs to have better monitoring data and that there is a tension between minimising unnecessary data requests and collecting what it needs to support the sector and evaluate the whole bus system.33
Government Response Summary
The government agreed to finalize a basket of measures and explain how it will use an outcomes framework to hold local transport authorities to account for their performance on bus services and support those performing less well by December 2026; this includes developing indicators and testing them with authorities.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3. PAC conclusion: The department does not know how it will measure local transport authorities’ performance on bus services. 3a. PAC recommendation: The department should, within a year, finalise a basket of measures and explain how it will use an outcomes framework to hold local transport authorities to account for their performance on bus services and support those performing less well. 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2026 3.2 The department is developing a clear and consistent set of outcomes and output indicators that directly relate to ministers’ aims for bus services. These will support local transport authorities in delivering better buses and help target support from the department and its partners. These are informing, to varying extents, the outcomes frameworks which are increasingly forming a core accountability mechanism for devolved funding. 3.3 Outcomes frameworks are already in place for Integrated Settlements (IS), Greater Manchester and the West Midlands and have been published on GOV.UK. IS arrangements will be rolled out for four additional Mayoral Strategic Authorities from April 2026. These frameworks are published as part of their IS agreements and set out the key measures for which they are accountable. For other local transport authorities receiving consolidated funding, the department have developed a basket of indicators that reflect the diversity of local interventions and have been testing these with authorities through a 'Bus Indicator Pilot' over the course of 2025 through to April 2026. 3.4 Several of these indicators relate to customer satisfaction. As an expectation of receiving LABG funding, local transport authorities will be expected to use a proportion of their allocation to participate in Transport Focus’ ‘Your Bus Journey’ annual survey from 2026. This will provide a comprehensive view of customer satisfaction with bus services in England outside London, by local transport authority. In parallel, the department will work with 4 Transport Focus who will take an enhanced role in analysing and understanding data to support, challenge and improve local transport authority delivery.