Government Response to Scrutiny of International Agreements: Interbus Agreement: Protocol on regular and special regular international passenger bus and coach services

This is the government's response, published 23 January 2025.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Secretary of State responds to the Committee's concerns about non-EU vehicle standards under the RSR Protocol by describing the standards as minimum requirements and stating that her Department holds no specific data on non-EU operators' vehicles.

• The standards in the Interbus Agreement, reflected in the RSR Protocol, are described as "minimum requirements" that do not prevent Contracting Parties having higher domestic standards, so non-EU operators "may already use vehicles that meet higher standards".
• The letter notes that the DVSA issued 32 on-the-spot fines to non-Great Britain passenger operators in 2023, including EU operators, and says these were not necessarily for safety or accessibility issues.
• On updating standards, the letter says an amendment requires "unanimous agreement by all Contracting Parties", so standards "could not be updated quickly"; the latest proposal on technical vehicle standards is yet to be adopted six years after it was introduced.
• The Secretary of State states that her officials will "provide their verbal support" for that proposal at the next Committee meeting; no date is given.

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