Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide sufficient funding for bus services for the next three years to enable (1) the recovery of service patronage, and (2) the maintenance of service levels; whether they plan to devolve any such funding to local transport authorities; and if not, why not.

Following the one-year Spending Review settlement, £300 million has been allocated in 2021-22 to provide any ongoing COVID-19 support that may be required, while progressing bus reforms to deliver better services for customers. More information on how this will be spent will be released in due course.

This funding is in addition to funding paid directly to Local Authorities through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and BSOG provided directly to commercial bus operators (this totalled over £200 million in the current financial year).