Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rural bus services.

We recognise that the bus sector, particularly in rural areas, continues to face a number of ongoing challenges. That is why we have announced a long-term approach to support and improve bus services with an additional £300m to support services from July 2023 until April 2025. All local transport authorities have completed and published Bus Service Improvement Plans, determining what the needs of their rural residents are and how to best meet these.

Shropshire County Council has been awarded £1,490,492 under Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) in 23/24 and has been allocated a total of £2,547,982 in emergency and recovery funding since March 2020 to help maintain bus services.

Additionally, Shropshire County Council receives £512,447 every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to subsidise bus services.