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Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords] 2025-06-02
02 June 2025
Lead MP
The Secretary of State for Transport
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Transport
Other Contributors: 60
At a Glance
The Secretary of State for Transport raised concerns about bus services (no. 2) bill [lords] 2025-06-02 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
I move the Second Reading of the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, highlighting its importance in addressing the current state of deregulated bus services which have led to declining patronage and unreliable service provision. The bill aims to establish local accountability by giving transport authorities power to define 'socially necessary' services based on employment access, health facilities, and education needs. It builds upon previous reforms but goes further, aiming to provide better services for passengers through increased funding of over £1 billion and enabling more people to use buses safely, reliably, and accessibly. The bill seeks to harness the best devolution efforts by providing local leaders with tools to deliver bus services tailored to their areas' needs while safeguarding passenger requirements.
Wendy Morton
Con
Aldridge-Brownhills
Question
She notes that the Bill talks about 'socially necessary' services but would like a better understanding of their definition, particularly in areas without train stations.
Minister reply
Through the Bill, local transport authorities will have the power to determine socially necessary local services based on employment access, health facilities, and education needs.
Meg Hillier
Lab/Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
Question
She raises concerns about floating bus stops in London which are dangerous for visually impaired individuals.
Minister reply
The Bill will commit to producing design guidance for local authorities on best practices, and a non-statutory pause on the type of floating bus stop that requires passengers to alight directly onto cycle lanes is planned.
Battersea
Question
She asks for a proper assessment of safety issues regarding floating bus stops.
Minister reply
The issue will be carefully looked at with consideration given to visually impaired individuals as well as cyclists and pedestrians.
Ellie Chowns
Green
North Herefordshire
Question
She highlights the particular needs of rural constituencies, including higher costs associated with rurality and demographic demands.
Minister reply
The funding issues have been taken into account in this year’s allocation.
Rachel Taylor
Lab
North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Question
She draws attention to the difficulties faced by blind and partially sighted people accessing buses.
Minister reply
The Bill will introduce a duty for local transport authorities to consult disabled passengers and disability organisations before initiating a franchise scheme, standardize current disability training requirements, and give the government new powers to require operators to record data on that training.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
He enquires about discussions with Wrightbus regarding innovative hydrogen bus technology.
Minister reply
The Under-Secretary of State for Transport has met representatives from Wrightbus and visited its facility.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Asked about statutory duties on county councils regarding companion travel for individuals with learning difficulties and expressed sadness over the passing of Mr Andrew Wickham, a long-time Go South Coast managing director.
Minister reply
The Secretary confirmed that local authorities decide extra benefits for national concessionary fare scheme users. She also praised Andrew Wickham's professionalism and passed condolences to his family.
Tim Farron
LD
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
Asked about the bus fare cap funding, particularly in areas of high wages where the cost of a single journey is prohibitive.
Minister reply
Acknowledged the challenge but highlighted that only one in six journeys will benefit from the £3 fare cap. The Secretary assured that the importance of affordable travel for her constituents was well understood.
Luke Murphy
Lab
Basingstoke
Question
Inquired about devolution process and whether new powers would pass to unitary or mayoral authorities.
Minister reply
Local transport authorities will take on the responsibility for determining if franchising or enhanced partnerships are suitable under the new arrangements.
Poole
Question
Asked about socially necessary services, particularly concerning school-only bus costs and special educational needs and disabilities transport.
Minister reply
The Secretary acknowledged awareness of these issues but assured further discussions to address them.
Question
Discussed challenges with bus stop relocations due to sustainable transport corridor developments, highlighting accessibility concerns.
Minister reply
Acknowledged the Bill's provisions would help local authorities manage such situations better.
Calum Miller
LD
Bicester and Woodstock
Question
Asked about funding eligibility for buses repurposed as net-zero emission vehicles.
Minister reply
The Secretary committed to writing back to confirm the hon. Gentleman's concerns.
Question
In response to a question about why fewer Conservative Back Benchers are lining up to speak in the debate, Gareth Bacon explains that it is because there will not be a Division later. He also clarifies that there are Conservative Members who wanted to ask questions of the Transport Secretary but were unable to.
Minister reply
N/A
Question
Morton asks about ensuring value for money from the Bill and raises concerns about increased bus fares by 8.6% in the West Midlands under Mayor Parker's plan.
Minister reply
Yes, indeed. We are very interested in doing that, which is why we inserted a purpose clause in the other place to ensure that the key focus of this Bill is solely on passengers.
Richard Holden
Con
Basildon and Billericay
Question
Holden points out that certain parts of the country given long-term settlements under the previous Government have been able to maintain the £2 cap, but other areas have not.
Minister reply
As always, my right hon. Friend gets to the heart of the matter, and I have to say that I agree with him.
Anna Dixon
Lab
Shipley
Question
Dixon asks if the Minister will give way.
Minister reply
I will make a bit of progress.
Question
Fox raises concerns about Sunday services, seasonal services, and poor connections for rural communities.
Minister reply
Yes, my hon. Friend is completely correct, and I will come to that a bit later in my speech.
Question
Morton asks if the Minister will give way again.
Minister reply
With respect to my right hon. Friend, I will not, because I am conscious that lots of Members want to speak.
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Question
Collins asks if the Minister will give way.
Minister reply
I will make some progress and then give way.
Joe Robertson
Con
Isle of Wight East
Question
Robertson questions whether the Bill is appealing to small unitary authorities or if it's just for bigger metropolitan areas.
Minister reply
The risk of the Bill is that it does not come with substantial funding attached. That is the problem. It is mismanaging the public’s expectations.
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Question
Collins emphasises the importance of stopping a vicious cycle where bus services are cancelled for commercial reasons, leaving people without transport options.
Minister reply
I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight East, which is that without substantial extra levels of funding from the Government, that simply will not happen.
Jonathan Davies
Lab
Mid Derbyshire
Question
My hon. Friend could be describing my constituency of Mid Derbyshire, many parts of which are poorly served by buses. Does she agree that the way forward is to give local leaders the power to determine routes and support them to work with private companies?
Paul Kohler
LD
Wimbledon
Question
As other Members have noted, buses are the most used form of public transport, and in much of the country they are the only option available. Outside London, however, bus use is in sharp decline, with more than 1 billion fewer passenger journeys in 2023 than in 2015.
Ben Maguire
LD
North Cornwall
Question
Does my hon. Friend agree that in rural areas like mine, we need ringfenced funding to protect those key healthcare routes?
Minister reply
Mr Kohler agreed and highlighted the importance of protecting essential healthcare routes.
Roz Savage
LD
South Cotswolds
Question
Does my hon. Friend agree that in rural constituencies like mine, bus routes are an absolute lifeline and a route out of poverty?
Minister reply
Mr Kohler agreed and stressed the importance of connectivity for economic growth.
Question
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that approaches that devolve responsibility and make it easier for mayors and local authorities to take over public control through franchising are the route to improved usage?
Minister reply
Mr Kohler agreed, but also emphasised the need for funding.
Gideon Amos
LD
Taunton and Wellington
Question
Does my hon. Friend agree that we need specific funding so that bus services can properly connect with hospitals?
Minister reply
Mr Kohler agreed, highlighting the importance of connecting rural areas to essential services.
Witney
Question
Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to do more to protect section 22 community bus services such as West Oxfordshire Community Transport?
Minister reply
Mr Kohler agreed, emphasising the need to reduce bureaucracy.
Elsie Blundell
Lab
Heywood and Middleton North
Question
I thank my right hon. Friend the Transport Secretary and her team for bringing forward this important Bill. Local bus services are fundamental to the lives of so many people, from providing access to work and leisure opportunities and social inclusion to cleaning up our air, reducing congestion and curtailing transport emissions...
North Norfolk
Question
I draw Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I have campaigned politically in North Norfolk for nearly a decade; all the while, people have been sharing with me their frustrations with our local public transport network...
Peter Swallow
Lab
Bracknell
Question
I really recognise the point that the hon. Gentleman raises. Under the Conservatives, Bracknell Forest council saw bus miles per head fall from 10.9 to 6.3 miles—a reduction of 42 %. Only under a Labour council have routes now been expanded... Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it is vital that we work closely with bus companies through enhanced partnership models—if that is right for the local area, as it is in Bracknell Forest—to improve local services for our residents?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman has helped me make progress because the issue is all about attitude and mindset... I hope that whoever gets control of these powers after the reorganisation of our local government is willing to do it.
Preet Kaur Gill
Lab/Co-op
Birmingham Edgbaston
Question
I welcome the Bill because it finally lets local communities take back control... In Birmingham, our bus services are mostly run by private providers with an enhanced partnership with Transport for West Midlands... The problem remains that in a privately run bus network, communities have no democratic control over routes and feel shut out of the process. But the new powers in the Bill mean that that system is coming to an end...
Helen Morgan
LD
North Shropshire
Question
I declare an interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association and the granddaughter of a London bus driver... Bus services have been reduced to a dire state in my North Shropshire constituency in recent years—most drastically under the watch of the previous Conservative Government. We are one of the worst-served constituencies in England for public transport, having seen a staggering 63% reduction of our bus miles since 2015; that compares with an English average reduction of just 19%. A person in Market Drayton who wants to get to the Princess Royal hospital in Telford, which is a 20-minute car journey, is looking at something like a five-hour round trip on the bus. Only one service operates on Sundays in the whole county, between the market towns of Oswestry and Chester...
Jim Dickson
Lab
Dartford
Question
The hon. Lady is painting a picture that will be very familiar to my constituents in Dartford... In my case, we have deteriorating services under Kent county council, with 30 years of Conservative rule meaning that buses have got worse pretty much every year. I have written to the new Reform-led administration in Kent county council asking them to undertake to use the powers in the Bill to improve bus services in Dartford and across Kent... Would she agree that the new Bill offers huge opportunities for local authorities to improve bus services and transport networks for the benefit of residents in my constituency and hers?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I was about to say that I am broadly supportive of this Bill and the empowerment of local authorities to franchise bus services for those reasons... That should enhance accessibility and safety and allow local authorities to establish new bus companies, which they have not been able to do before...
Simon Martin
Con
North Devon
Question
The text does not provide a formal Q&A session but includes Simon Martin questioning the adequacy of funding allocated by the Government to rural areas like Shropshire, highlighting that it is among the lowest allocations despite significant needs.
Chris Bloore
Lab
Redditch
Question
Supports the Bill's aims but emphasises the need for recognition of financial difficulties faced by rural councils and raises concerns about rising bus fares impacting financially vulnerable residents.
Jim Allister
TUV
North Antrim
Question
Focuses on the opportunity provided by the Bill to support local industries such as Wrightbus in North Antrim, advocating for prioritisation of British-built buses and exploring options like refurbishing diesel buses into electric ones.
Sarah Hall
Lab/Co-op
Warrington South
Question
Highlights the success of Warrington’s Own Buses, a municipally owned bus company that runs under a Labour administration, advocating for more public interest in running bus services.
Olly Glover
LD
Didcot and Wantage
Question
It is great to see this Bill come to the Commons. I applaud its desire to improve the quality and availability of bus services... The integrated rail and bus terminal at Didcot Parkway enables a convenient interchange. There are decent bus frequencies and journey times during the daytime between Didcot and Wantage, Grove, Oxford and Wallingford, and between Wallingford and Oxford. There are urgent improvements needed for rural neighbourhoods such as Bolsterstone which is entirely cut off.
Marie Tidball
Lab
Penistone and Stocksbridge
No extracted contribution text available for this contributor yet.
Mike Martin
LD
Tunbridge Wells
Question
In Tunbridge Wells, buses are not a luxury: they connect schoolchildren to their classrooms, the elderly to their communities, carers to patients, and people unable to drive to jobs, shops and healthcare... Now, with the £2 fare cap rising to £3, a commuter making two journeys a day, five days a week, will pay an extra £500 extra each year, on top of the cost of living crisis...
Alex Mayer
Lab
Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
Question
Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I think buses are brilliant, so I am delighted that this Bill is coming forward on 2 June, because, as you said, it is my birthday. I thought it was the Minister’s way of wishing me many happy returns—and singles also! For too long, buses have been in decline. It is great that the Minister has been clear for months that he wants to fix that and that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work.
Minister reply
I am delighted to welcome Alex Mayer’s support for the Bill and his recognition of its importance. The Government agrees that a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate, which is why we have included provisions in the Bill to allow local authorities the flexibility to tailor bus services to their specific needs.
Eastbourne
Question
I want to highlight the especially profound impact that unreliable bus services can have on those who are neurodiverse. This is what Ann, whose son is autistic, said to me via email: “My son has recently contacted me to say that the 14.54 bus his school have agreed for him to catch each day did not turn up at all. The bus after that was also late... I urge the Government to upgrade their Bill to make such routes a reality.
Minister reply
I am deeply concerned by Josh Babarinde's report and recognise the impact unreliable services can have on vulnerable individuals, including those who are neurodiverse. We will work with local authorities and operators to address these issues and ensure that essential bus services are reliable for all users.
Chichester
Question
My hon. Friend talks about collaboration across borders and county councils. I have an issue in my constituency because of a proposal to close the GP practice in Westbourne, but there is no bus service for all the patients in Westbourne to get to Emsworth, which is over the border into Hampshire county council. Does he agree that there should be provision in the Bill to ensure that local authorities work together?
Minister reply
I agree with Jess Brown-Fuller's point about the need for collaboration between different councils and agencies. We will consider provisions in the Bill to encourage such cross-border cooperation, particularly where it affects essential services like healthcare.
Tom Hayes
Bournemouth East
Lab
Question
As a fellow Dorset MP, does my hon. Friend recognise the need for a dedicated bus route to Bournemouth airport every 30 minutes?
Minister reply
I am happy to support my hon. Friend’s campaign and I will be meeting him shortly to discuss how I can best do so.
Caroline Voaden
South Devon
LD
Question
The number of bus journeys in Devon has fallen by 40% since 2015, and many communities have been left behind. Does the Bill go far enough to deliver a 'bus revolution'?
Minister reply
While I welcome the principles behind the Bill, it must go further if it is truly to deliver the 'bus revolution'. Local authorities must have the power and funding to keep services running.
Claire Hazelgrove
Filton and Bradley Stoke
Lab
Question
In Filton and Bradley Stoke, problems arise when trying to get across our towns and villages on the outskirts of the city, where many places of work and study are based. Is this Bill addressing these issues?
Minister reply
The Bill aims to give local authorities new powers to franchise their bus services, crack down on antisocial behaviour and fare evasion, and make buses and bus stops more accessible for passengers living with disabilities.
John Milne
LD
Horsham
Question
For many years, rural bus services have been declining due to under-investment. In my constituency of Horsham, we have lost about a third of our services since 2010, and funding has fallen by up to 43% in some areas. No one wants to admit responsibility for these cuts. Will the new Bill do enough to reverse this trend?
Minister reply
The Better Buses Bill moves in the right direction by empowering local authorities to franchise routes, run their own bus companies and trial demand-responsive transport schemes, which are good building blocks for a more flexible, responsive system.
Jon Pearce
Lab
High Peak
Question
In High Peak, we have lost several vital bus services under the Conservatives. Local communities have been left powerless to hold operators accountable. This problem is ruining lives and preventing students from getting to college in Sheffield due to unreliable transport. How will the Bill address these issues?
Minister reply
The Bill transfers powers away from Westminster and empowers local communities to take decisions necessary for commuters, students, vulnerable people, and tourism management sustainably.
Emma Foody
Lab/Co-op
Cramlington and Killingworth
Question
In my constituency, buses are vital but unreliable. Too many routes have been withdrawn or reduced under the previous Government. The Bill could not be more timely to ensure people get the services they deserve.
Minister reply
The Better Buses Bill will give local authorities greater control over their bus networks and address years of under-investment in public transport.
Luke Myer
Lab
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Question
Will my hon. Friend give way?
Minister reply
I will not; I am sorry. I do not wish to deny another Member time to speak.
Julia Buckley
Lab
Shrewsbury
Question
Shrewsbury has waited 10 years for a Labour Government to bring forward this Bill. Over the course of the last Government, our county of Shropshire lost over 63% of our bus routes due to privatisation that forced bus companies to pursue profits over passengers.
Harpreet Uppal
Lab
Huddersfield
Question
As a public transport user, I know that our buses do not always work for the people and communities they purport to serve. Despite Huddersfield having had the busiest bus station in West Yorkshire before the pandemic, its bus services declined by more than a fifth between 2010 and 2023.
Jerome Mayhew
Con
Broadland and Fakenham
Question
The hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham questioned the Government’s intentions behind the Bill, highlighting Labour's opposition to clause 1 in the other place and raising concerns about franchising risks.
Minister reply
The Minister responded that local leaders are best placed to make decisions on bus services, and the Bill aims to give them tools to do so. The Government has engaged with stakeholders and allocated over £700 million in bus grants for 2025-26.
Tim Farron
Liberal Democrat, Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
The hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale referred to the fare cap and raised concerns about its impact on rural services.
Minister reply
The Secretary of State has confirmed over £1 billion of funding to support and improve bus services in England, which includes keeping fares affordable. The Government are committed to ensuring that decision making on route changes is fully assessed.
Helen Morgan
Conservative, North Shropshire
Question
The hon. Member for Orpington questioned the legal basis of the franchising process.
Minister reply
Local transport authorities better understand their local communities' needs and should be given the opportunity to determine what is right for their area.
Jim Allister
Ulster Unionist, North Antrim
Question
The hon. and learned Member for North Antrim mentioned the innovative zero emission buses being produced in the UK.
Minister reply
This Government are supportive of efforts and innovation of UK manufacturers of zero emission buses. About 60% of ZEBRA-funded buses are typically procured from the UK.
Jim Shannon
DUP, Strangford
Question
The hon. Member for Strangford raised concerns about accessibility and floating bus stops.
Minister reply
The Government fully appreciate the concerns regarding the accessibility of floating bus stops and are working to provide further guidance and undertake research.
Calum Miller
Conservative, Bicester and Woodstock
Question
The hon. Member for Bicester and Woodstock mentioned bus repowering as a viable and sustainable option.
Minister reply
I commit to writing to the hon. Member regarding the eligibility of those buses for MHCLG funding.
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