The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to work with the Chief Executive of Trentbarton to reconsider the changes and reinstate the original number 21 bus route.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Maggie Throup , Official Report, 13 December 2022; Vol. 724, c. 1085 .]
[P002789]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr Richard Holden):
The Government recognise the vital role that local bus services play in ensuring that people can stay connected, get to work and access vital services such as healthcare. The Department for Transport works closely with bus operators and Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) on the provision of local bus routes, and recognises that the sector is currently facing a number of challenges.
Around three-quarters of bus services outside London are provided on a commercial basis by private operators. At present, decisions such as where to run services and the frequency of those services are mainly a matter for the operator concerned. LTAs have powers to subsidise bus services where there is not enough demand for a bus route to be commercially viable in its own right and where the service is socially necessary. Examples of socially necessary services include those that ensure access to key amenities, jobs, training, and education and those that help avoid social isolation where individuals do not have access to personal vehicles.
The Government are continuing to support the bus sector to help minimise reductions to bus services and have provided nearly £2 billion of support since March 2020 through emergency and recovery grants to bus operators and LTAs to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. This funding was due to end in October but has been extended to continue supporting services until March 2023. The Department for Transport is actively considering its long-term support for the bus sector from April 2023.
The Government are determined that everyone, everywhere should have access to great bus services, as published in the National Bus Strategy. This set out the Government’s vision for bus services across the country, and asked that all English Local Transport Authorities outside London publish Bus Service Implementation Plans (BSIPs) setting out local visions for the step-change in bus services that is needed, driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want. Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council have been allocated £47 million and £7 million respectively to deliver on the package of improvements to bus services set out in their BSIP.