Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is providing to Local Authorities to help them achieve their public transport objectives for bus services.

The Government is providing over £1billion to 34 local transport authorities (LTAs), including combined authorities, to support the delivery of their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). Additionally, over £780m has been allocated through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) that will directly fund bus infrastructure.

In addition, £23m bus capacity funding was allocated to all LTAs in 2021/22 to support the development and delivery of their BSIPs and Enhanced Partnerships. A further £11m has been provided in 2022/23 for those LTAs that did not receive BSIP funding.

Since 1 January, the majority of single bus journeys in England outside London have been capped at £2 thanks to Government support via the Bus Fare Cap Grant. The initial phase of the scheme, through to 31 March, is backed by up to £60 million. On 17 February, we announced that we will provide up to £75 million to extend the £2 bus fare cap until 30 June 2023.

We also announced a further, three-month extension to the Bus Recovery Grant (BRG) to continue protecting vital bus services until 30 June 2023. This takes total Government funding that has been provided to over £2bn in emergency and recovery funding to the sector since March 2020 to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

The Government pays over £200 million directly to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to help keep fares down and maintain a larger network than would otherwise be possible. The Government also provides £42 million annually in BSOG funding to Local Transport Authorities.