Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her proposed timeline is for publishing her Department's response to the consultation and evidence-gathering exercise on removing the 50km restriction for 18 to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In April 2024, the previous government launched a consultation to help support driver recruitment, including a measure to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18 to 19-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service, aiming help to increase the number of available bus drivers, particularly for longer, more rural routes.
Following the change of government, the Department has re-engaged with industry to better understand the likely effect of removing the current restrictions.
Once all responses have been gathered, they will be considered alongside contributions from other stakeholders. This combined evidence base will be used to determine our next steps.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of UK transport-sector decarbonisation policies relating to (a) the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate for cars and vans, (b) HGV decarbonisation programmes, (c) bus and coach decarbonisation schemes and (d) sustainable aviation fuel and wider aviation decarbonisation initiatives by mode.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The transition to zero emission vehicles, including cars, vans and HGVs, received £1.8bn in the spending review settlement, which is additional to the £320m allocated at Autumn Budget 2024.
£40m was allocated for zero emission bus projects through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Scheme at Autumn Budget 2024.
£63m in 2025/2026 will support Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production in the UK through the Advanced Fuels Fund. Further support is committed through the next SR period to 2029/30 – the parameters of this funding will be published in due course.
The SAF Revenue Certainty Mechanism will be industry funded.
The Government has announced up to £2.3bn of funding over ten years to extend the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme to 2035. The programme supports industry led projects including the development of new low and zero carbon aircraft.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides to transport operators on making toilets (a) accessible and (b) usable for people with a stoma.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department places accessible travel for disabled people among its highest priorities, as part of our broader commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity. We are determined to deliver a transport network that puts passengers at its heart-enabling disabled people to travel easily, confidently and with dignity, including those with bowel conditions which require a stoma.
On rail, the Department publishes accessibility standards the industry must comply with whenever they install, replace or renew station toilets. This includes accessible toilets. Where toilets are provided on trains it is a legal requirement for operators to comply with the relevant accessibility standards. Given the importance of toilets to passenger comfort, operators should consider appropriate provision when procuring or refurbishing trains.
In aviation, regulation and guidance already exists in relation to the provision of accessible toilets that cater for all kinds of disabilities, for both airports and airlines. In addition, there is a requirement for industry to account for the needs of disabled passengers in the design and refurbishment of airports and aircraft.
In local transport, the provision and design of bus and coach stations, including accessible toilets, is a matter for local authorities, who should be mindful of their duties under the Equality Act 2010 when making relevant decisions.
Disabled people should be able to make journeys with confidence that transport infrastructure will meet their needs. This is why we are introducing a requirement, through the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, for local authorities to pay regard to new statutory guidance on the safety and accessibility of bus station and stop design when providing new or upgrading existing facilities.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to develop real time information on the availability of accessibility to public transport for disabled passengers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Accessibility and inclusivity are key considerations for the government as we seek to deliver against our key missions, including removing barriers to opportunity and delivering safer streets. The government wants disabled people to be able to travel easily, confidently, and with dignity, and we recognise the role of accurate and up-to-date information in making this possible.
The rail industry provides both static and real-time information to customers through a variety of channels. For example, live lift information and the location of accessible toilet facilities can be accessed via the National Rail Accessibility Map, as well as via the information and live-updates pages on the National Rail Enquiries website. The government also supports programmes such as Smarter Information, Smart Journeys which is working to ensure more information is available for customers on things like where BSL is available at stations, whether there are toilets on board trains and the live location of rail replacement transport.
The Department is undertaking discovery work to capture accessibility assets at bus stops within the National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN). NaPTAN is also introducing rail replacement data as a priority to align with the expiration of coach operator exemptions from the Accessible Information Regulations which will expire on 31 July 2026.
The Department also launched the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group in November 2024, bringing together industry and consumer representatives, to consider the barriers to air travel for disabled passengers and to develop practical and achievable actions to improve aviation accessibility across the consumer journey.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of US tariffs on the bus and coach sector.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Buses and coaches are exempt from the additional 25% tariffs the US is imposing on the automotive sector. However, they are still included in the 10% baseline tariffs, posing challenges for businesses. In March 2025, the Minister for Local Transport launched the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, regularly bringing together industry experts to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. This government is committed to supporting the automotive sector, a crucial part of our manufacturing base. While preparing for all scenarios, our priority is to strengthen our economic relationship with the US through constructive discussions.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to recruit more bus drivers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport is a devolved matter, and the Department for Transport is responsible for transport in England only. Bus services in England are predominantly run on a commercial basis by private operators. Ultimate responsibility for recruiting bus drivers falls to individual operators.
The government recognises the sector has had issues recruiting and retaining bus drivers in England, Scotland and Wales, but this is now more of a localised issue. The Department held a Driver Shortages Summit in 2022 with industry, and local and national government attendees to identify actions to help resolve this. In April 2024, the Department subsequently launched a consultation to help support driver recruitment on measures to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18- to 20-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service and enable some of the tests required to be passed in order to gain a driver certificate of professional competence to be taken before a provisional licence is issued. The Department is reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with transport industry representatives on (a) increasing the levels of participation and (b) the career advancement of women in the transport sector.
Answered by Mike Kane
We are working closely with industry experts to ensure that women are represented within all levels of the transport system.
This includes supporting the Generation Logistics campaign. Led by the industry, this initiative aims to raise awareness and enhance perceptions of careers in logistics, including promoting roles to women where they are currently under-represented.
Officials engage regularly with industry stakeholders, including employers and trade associations, to understand and address issues relating to the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in transport.
We also work closely with modal partners such as Women In Rail, Women in Bus and Coach and the Women In Maritime on programmes to support women in their careers.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the requirement to hold a provisional bus, coach or HGV licence to undertake the theory and off-road modules of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence test.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In April, the Department launched a consultation on amending licensing restrictions following requests from industry, the consultation ran for 8 weeks and closed on 5 June. It consulted on measures to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18- to 20-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service and enable some of the tests required to be passed in order to gain a driver certificate of professional competence (DCPC) to be taken before a provisional licence is issued.
Officials are reviewing responses to the consultation and the Department will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the 50km restriction for 18- to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers on a regular service.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In April, the Department launched a consultation on amending licensing restrictions following requests from industry, the consultation ran for 8 weeks and closed on 5 June. It consulted on measures to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18- to 20-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service and enable some of the tests required to be passed in order to gain a driver certificate of professional competence (DCPC) to be taken before a provisional licence is issued.
Officials are reviewing responses to the consultation and the Department will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle bus vandalism.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to improving bus services so they are more inclusive and enable all passengers to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce a new Buses Bill later in this parliamentary session that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. More detail on measures within the Bill will be set out in due course.
The Department for Transport (DfT) also supports the Bus and Coach sector via our published ‘Security Recommended Best Practice Guidance’ which was developed to advise the bus and coach industry on security measures to protect against acts of violence, especially terrorism.