Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Accepted
Department acknowledges poorer bus experience for disabled people, with accessibility measures underway.
Recommendation
The Department acknowledged that disabled people have a poorer experience on buses and that it needs to do more. It told us about its various measures to help improve accessibility, such as supporting operators to implement improvements to audible and visible route and destination announcements.62 We raised the issue of conflicting requirements for pavement space from different user groups, for instance cyclists, pedestrians and bus passengers, with ‘floating’ bus stops being a particular example of this. The Department told us that decisions on whose needs to prioritise should be taken at a local level.63 We note the Department, at time of writing, is sponsoring a bill through Parliament which includes a section on the provision and design of ‘floating’ bus stops.64 Using technology to improve services
Government Response Summary
The government agreed to write to the committee within six months setting out the specific barriers preventing elderly and disabled passengers getting back on buses and its plans to address them, with a target implementation date of April 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6a. PAC recommendation: The department should, within six months, write to the committee setting out the specific barriers preventing elderly and disabled passengers getting back on buses and its plans to address them. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2026 6.2 Concessionary bus journeys have been increasing year-on-year since Covid but remain below pre-Covid levels. As is often the case for behavioural changes, the evidence base underpinning this can be difficult to interpret and variable. 6.3 Available evidence, including feedback from local transport authorities, suggests that the key factors include: • more journeys made by concessionary passengers being discretionary – with any changes in bus service frequency or connections made to adjust to new post-COVID travel patterns potentially having a disproportionate impact; • the cost of living resulting in less disposable income and reduced leisure trips for some passholders; and • partial movement to online for shopping and medical appointments. 6.4 The Bus Services Act 2025 introduced key legislative measures aimed at improving local bus services and accountability, which the department anticipates will help to remedy any impact of service stability on concessionary travel. 6.5 The department will write to the Committee with a further update on its understanding of the barriers preventing concessionary travel within six months, and details of its plans to address them.