Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords] 2025-06-02

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.

Question

She raises concerns about floating bus stops in London which are dangerous for visually impaired individuals.

Question

She asks for a proper assessment of safety issues regarding floating bus stops.

Question

She highlights the particular needs of rural constituencies, including higher costs associated with rurality and demographic demands.

Question

She draws attention to the difficulties faced by blind and partially sighted people accessing buses.

Question

He enquires about discussions with Wrightbus regarding innovative hydrogen bus technology.

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.

Question

Asked about the bus fare cap funding, particularly in areas of high wages where the cost of a single journey is prohibitive.

Question

Inquired about devolution process and whether new powers would pass to unitary or mayoral authorities.

Question

Asked about socially necessary services, particularly concerning school-only bus costs and special educational needs and disabilities transport.

Question

Discussed challenges with bus stop relocations due to sustainable transport corridor developments, highlighting accessibility concerns.

Question

Asked about funding eligibility for buses repurposed as net-zero emission vehicles.

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.

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.

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.

Question

Dixon asks if the Minister will give way.

Question

Fox raises concerns about Sunday services, seasonal services, and poor connections for rural communities.

Question

Morton asks if the Minister will give way again.

Question

Collins asks if the Minister will give way.

Question

Robertson questions whether the Bill is appealing to small unitary authorities or if it's just for bigger metropolitan areas.

Question

Collins emphasises the importance of stopping a vicious cycle where bus services are cancelled for commercial reasons, leaving people without transport options.

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?

Question

Will my hon. Friend give way?

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.

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that in rural areas like mine, we need ringfenced funding to protect those key healthcare routes?

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that in rural constituencies like mine, bus routes are an absolute lifeline and a route out of poverty?

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?

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that we need specific funding so that bus services can properly connect with hospitals?

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?

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...

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...

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?

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...

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...

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

No extracted contribution text available for this contributor yet.

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...

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.

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.

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?

Question

As a fellow Dorset MP, does my hon. Friend recognise the need for a dedicated bus route to Bournemouth airport every 30 minutes?

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'?

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?

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?

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?

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.

Question

Will my hon. Friend give way?

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.

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.

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.

Question

The hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale referred to the fare cap and raised concerns about its impact on rural services.

Question

The hon. Member for Orpington questioned the legal basis of the franchising process.

Question

The hon. and learned Member for North Antrim mentioned the innovative zero emission buses being produced in the UK.

Question

The hon. Member for Strangford raised concerns about accessibility and floating bus stops.

Question

The hon. Member for Bicester and Woodstock mentioned bus repowering as a viable and sustainable option.