Bus Services: Coronavirus

(asked on 1st March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that bus operators do not reduce the number of bus (a) services and (b) routes as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 9th March 2021

The Government is currently providing up to £27.3m per week of emergency funding to the bus sector through the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant (CBSSG) scheme. This is allowing bus operators to maintain services for essential travel.

During the current national lockdown, the Department has asked operators and local authorities to work together to prioritise services and routes based on local need, while reducing overall service levels to reflect reduced demand. The Government will work with operators and local authorities to help them prepare for an increase in demand as national restrictions begin to lift and ensure that service levels and route provision can meet this increase.

The Government remains committed to supporting the bus sector’s long-term recovery from COVID-19. Further details on how we plan to support bus services will be included in the National Bus Strategy, which we expect to publish in the coming weeks.

Reticulating Splines