Bus Franchising

In the House of Commons debate, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Simon Lightwood, delivered a statement outlining the government's plans to revolutionize bus services across England. He highlighted the decline in bus usage over the past four decades since deregulation, with 1.5 billion fewer journeys taken in 2019 compared to 1985. Lightwood emphasized that this government is committed to repairing the country's broken bus network, which has had a detrimental impact on communities, particularly the most disadvantaged groups. He announced that a new statutory instrument has been laid, which will open up bus franchising powers to all local transport authorities in England, allowing them to take control of their local bus services. The minister pointed to the success of franchising models in Greater Manchester and London as examples of how this can improve reliability, passenger numbers, and service coverage. In response, the shadow minister, Dr Kieran Mullan, acknowledged the importance of good local transport but expressed concerns about the risks and challenges facing local authorities in taking on these new responsibilities. He questioned whether sufficient funding and support would be provided by the government, given the financial pressures already facing councils. Mullan also argued that the government had not made concrete commitments to increase service levels or miles travelled as part of the "bus revolution." The debate that followed saw contributions from members across the House. Labour MPs welcomed the move towards greater local control of bus services, highlighting the decline in their constituencies under the previous government. They called for adequate funding and support to be provided to local authorities, particularly in rural and coastal areas that have been underserved. Conservative members also emphasized the need to consider the specific challenges facing rural communities and urged the minister to engage closely with local government representatives. Throughout the discussion, there was broad agreement on the importance of improving bus services to support economic growth, social mobility, and environmental goals. However, the debate centered on the practical implementation of the government's plans and the need to ensure that the reforms deliver tangible benefits for passengers in terms of accessibility, frequency, and affordability of services.