Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the risk that electric buses operating in the UK could be remotely rendered inoperable via their internet-connected systems by hostile state actors.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes national security seriously and recognises the systematic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. My Department works closely with the transport sector and other government departments to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities for all transport modes.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the (a) introduction of pay-per-mile road tax for electric vehicles and (b) changes to fuel duty freezes on small and medium-sized businesses in the logistics sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for public services and investment in infrastructure.
All UK-registered electric and plug-in hybrid cars will pay eVED. Other vehicle types such as vans, buses, coaches, motorcycles and HGVs will be out of scope of the tax upon its introduction. This is because the transition to electric for these vehicle types is less advanced than for cars at this stage.
At Budget 2025, the Government also announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to previous levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the government increasing fuel duty rates in line with RPI from April 2027. This will save the average van driver £100 next year compared to previous plans, and the average HGV driver more than £800.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the annual cost to the logistics industry of the proposed pay-per-mile electric vehicle charging scheme.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for public services and investment in infrastructure.
All UK-registered electric and plug-in hybrid cars will pay eVED. Other vehicle types such as vans, buses, coaches, motorcycles and HGVs will be out of scope of the tax upon its introduction. This is because the transition to electric for these vehicle types is less advanced than for cars at this stage.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of whether (a) electric vehicles, (b) buses and (c) lorries accelerate road surface deterioration.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises that heavier vehicles can accelerate road surface wear. While we have not undertaken a specific assessment of this effect, we are actively considering the implications of introducing zero-emission heavy goods vehicles, including the potential for additional road wear.
The increasing weight of all road vehicles, both electric vehicles (EVs) and their petrol and diesel counterparts, is one of many factors affecting the condition of our roads. While EVs tend to be heavier than their equivalent petrol or diesel counterpart, on average all passenger cars have been increasing in weight for many years. This trend has been driven by consumer choice and improving safety features for passengers. It is the much heavier commercial vehicles, rather than passenger vehicles, that cause the most wear and tear to road surfaces and other highway structures.
More broadly, there are many reasons why loadings on local roads may change, such as commercial development increasing traffic and the number of heavier vehicles on a road. Because of this, guidance for local authorities already highlights the need for maintenance plans to account for changes in circumstances. The main guidance for local highway authorities on asset management is the Code of Practice for Well-Managed Highways Infrastructure, published by the UK Roads Leadership Group and funded by the Department for Transport. The guidance sets out a national framework for how local highway authorities should manage their networks using a risk-based, evidence-led approach, taking account of current and expected highways usage.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Chinese BYD electric buses are in service across the UK by franchise operator.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department does not hold this information. For information on how many electric BYD buses have been licensed overall, please see the DVLA statistics – table VEH0133. (Vehicle licensing statistics data tables – GOV.UK)
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the coach industry on battery electric motorway charging networks.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In line with the Government’s ambitions for zero emission vehicles, the Government is working with industry to make charging for longer journeys easy, fast and reliable.
Officials continue to engage with industry, including motorway service area operators, chargepoint operators, and coach operators, on supporting provision for larger vehicles such as coaches.
Coach operators were also eligible for the up to £30 million Depot Charging Scheme, which opened in July 2025 and for which applications are now being assessed.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of lower-cost imports of electric buses from (a) China and (b) other countries on the competitiveness of UK manufacturers; and what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) procurement and (b) subsidy programmes support domestic industry while still delivering value for money.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The international market is key to spurring and driving innovation, as well as competitive pricing and enabling UK manufacturers to win orders around the world. Data gathered through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme suggests that UK bus manufacturers are not being undercut by international suppliers, with prices being broadly comparable. UK-based bus manufacturers have also benefitted most from the Department’s funding programmes.
To support the domestic Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) industry, the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel was established in March 2025. The Expert Panel brings together industry experts and local leaders to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing.
The Expert Panel is looking at how social value can be embedded in the heart of the bus procurement process to ensure every pound of public money spent on ZEBs delivers the greatest possible benefit for our communities and the economy.
Section 17 of the Subsidy Control Act prevents state subsidies being given with conditions on using domestic over imported goods or services. This means that when providing subsidies, local transport authorities cannot impose conditions to require that bus operators receiving the subsidies must buy British buses.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of electricity network charging costs on the (a) financial viability of electric bus operations and (b) transition away from diesel vehicles.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to expanding the electricity network to support the electrification of transport and are working closely with bus operators and DESNZ about electricity provision for depots. Due to lower operating costs of battery electric buses compared to diesel buses, this makes them an attractive option for bus operators.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with (a) bus operators and (b) electricity providers on the potential impact of electricity standing charges on the operating costs of zero-emission bus fleets.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to expanding the electricity network to support the electrification of transport and are working closely with bus operators and DESNZ about electricity provision for depots. Due to lower operating costs of battery electric buses compared to diesel buses, this makes them an attractive option for bus operators.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what policies his Department is developing to ensure that (a) heavy-duty vehicle depots and (b) bus depots can access timely electricity grid connections.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is implementing fundamental reforms to the connections process that will free up capacity and accelerate connections, including for heavy-duty vehicle and bus depots. Alongside this, we encourage transport stakeholders to engage with NESO to ensure that the regional energy strategic plans that will inform future investment in grid capacity reflect their future electricity requirements.
However, we recognise that further action is needed, which is why we announced plans in the Industrial Strategy to use new legal powers to accelerate grid connection timelines for the most strategically important demand customers.