Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to ensure the affordability of bus fares in rural areas.

The Government pays almost £260 million per year in Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), which benefits passengers by helping operators keep fares down, and enabling operators to run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation, particularly in rural areas.

In the National Bus Strategy, published on 15 March, we set out our intention to consult on reforms to BSOG. We will consider the needs of rural bus users amongst many things.

The Government is committed to ensuring the unique needs of rural areas are met, and so will boost the Rural Services Delivery Grant by £4 million to £85 million next year, making it the highest rural grant paid to date.