Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Bus Services: Newcastle

Thursday 19 January 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chi Onwurah asked about the assessment of bus service trends in Newcastle since 2019.
  • Response indicated an allocation of 163.5 million to support Newcastle's bus service improvement plan.
  • Louise Haigh questioned the status of bus services post-pandemic, noting significant declines.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Transport
Context

Since 2019, there have been concerns about the quality, availability, and accessibility of bus services in Newcastle. Constituents report long wait times and unreliable services.

Question

What assessment has been made of trends in the quality, availability and accessibility of bus services in Newcastle since 2019?

Answer from Richard Holden

In response to the Government's national bus strategy, all local transport authorities in England outside London produced bus service improvement plans. Following a detailed assessment process, we have awarded TNE an indicative allocation of £163.5 million to support the delivery of its BSIP, which covers seven local authorities including Newcastle City Council.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address trends since 2019 specifically and did not mention accessibility issues faced by constituents.

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Q2 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Transport
Context

Constituents report unreliable bus services with long wait times and missed connections. There is a need for accessible, affordable, regular, sustainable bus services.

Question

An elderly man waits two hours in the rain not knowing whether a bus will turn up. A lone woman is left stranded at 11 pm. A business cannot open because half of its workforce are delayed on different bus services. The bus companies say that the services are improving, but my constituents tell a very different story. We need accessible, affordable, regular, sustainable bus services; information about where the buses are; and accountability when they are not where they should be. How long do we have to wait?

Answer from Richard Holden

I totally agree that we need affordable bus services which is why we have introduced the £2 cap. We announced £19.5 million of levelling-up fund investment for her area including 52 new electric buses, supported by 26 rapid chargers in the depots to provide more regular and reliable service in the future.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address timeline or accountability issues specifically asked about.

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Q3 Louise Haigh Lab Sheffield Heeley
Transport
Context

A promise was made in March 2021 to stop and reverse the decline in bus services during the pandemic, but there are concerns about whether this commitment has been met.

Question

In March 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, the previous Secretary of State promised buses so frequent that people would not need a timetable and said that the Government would 'not only stop the decline'—in bus services—but 'reverse it'. Since then, have bus services increased or decreased?

Answer from Richard Holden

The pandemic had a major impact on many bus services across the country including huge fall in the number of concessionary fare users and paid fare users. We put in more than £2 billion in support for the bus network since the start of the pandemic to support services.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific assessment of whether services have increased or decreased since March 2021, only provided general context.

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Q4 Louise Haigh Lab Sheffield Heeley
Transport
Context

Bus numbers fell significantly in the previous year under a Conservative Government, prompting calls for extended franchising powers to improve accountability and control over routes.

Question

I repeat that that promise was made in the middle of the pandemic. Only once before on record, also under a Conservative Government, have bus numbers fallen by as much as they did last year. So instead of continuing to defend this broken bus system, will the Minister extend franchising powers nationwide, remove the hurdles that operators use to block reform and finally put power and control over routes and fares into the hands of the communities who depend on them?

Answer from Richard Holden

The BSIPs and devolution deals allow franchising powers to go forward, Labour Mayors can apply for them. Some are doing franchising but many take alternatives working in close partnerships.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to extending franchising powers nationwide as requested.

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