Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Audit Office report, Improving local bus services in England outside London, published on 2 October 2020, HC 577, what assessment he has made of the effect of the loss of supported bus services on (a) rural and (b) disadvantaged communities.

The Government is committed to levelling up the country to provide equal opportunity for all and recognises the vital importance bus services have in supporting the economy and bringing society together across rural and disadvantaged areas.

The National Bus Strategy we are developing will focus on the needs of passengers, and set out how national and local government and the private sector will come together to meet the needs of local communities. We aim to publish this strategy by the end of the year.

We also committed last year in the Future of Mobility Urban Strategy to setting out our thinking on the future of rural mobility in due course.