Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Paul Williams and Jeff Smith

Thursday 24th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Dr Paul Williams (Stockton South) (Lab)]

5. What steps his Department is taking to support local bus services.

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

14. What steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of bus services throughout the country.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

The bus market outside London is deregulated, and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their own spending priorities. The Government paid out some £250 million last year to support bus services in England through the bus subsidy operators grant. The Bus Services Act 2017 introduced new powers for local authorities and operators to work together to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.