Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that autonomous vehicles use does not adversely affect bus reliability, active travel and access to essential services.

The Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme will facilitate the rollout of small-scale commercial pilot deployments.

For an APS permit to be granted, local consent is required from the relevant licensing authority or franchising body. My department has recently published guidance on the consenting process, setting out a range of considerations for applicants and consenting authorities. These include, but are not limited to, the extent to which proposed services align with local transport plans and wider strategic priorities. As a result, issues such as bus reliability, active travel, and access to essential services may appropriately form part of early engagement with the consent authority.