Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that local SME bus operators are able to participate in future bus franchising schemes.

The Bus Services Act 2017 already requires an authority to make a statement on how they will facilitate SMEs in service provision as part of the franchising process.

On 9 September 2024, the Department consulted on updates to bus franchising guidance, these updates aim to reduce the technical barriers to franchising and support safer, more accessible services. The Department is currently reviewing the feedback received, including valuable insights from bus operators and organisations representing small-to-medium-sized operators, and will respond shortly.

The Department will continue working with local authorities to develop different franchising models that could be smaller scale, require less financial commitment and support SME participation.