Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 104865, whether her Department plans to improve the frequency and granularity of bus passenger journey data collection, including collection by calendar month.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport publishes bus passenger data at a range of frequencies and levels of detail.
Annual local bus passenger journey statistics are published on a financial year basis, with the latest release covering April 2024 to March 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/statisticaldata-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#local-bus-passenger-journeys-bus01.
In addition to the annual statistics, the Department publishes more frequent information on bus use through two separate statistical releases.
The Department publishes daily bus passenger data for Great Britain outside London and London as part of the daily domestic transport use by mode publication, which is updated monthly: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic.
The Department also published daily local bus passenger and trip data by Local Transport Authority as Official Statistics in Development last year: https://www.gov.uk/government/statisticaldata-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#local-bus-passenger-journeys-bus01. These are undergoing further development and testing with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Current data limitations include no data held for London and incomplete coverage for England outside London.
For this latter release, the Department plans to continue developing the data source, publish an updated set in due course and move towards more regular updates in future. Decisions on the precise timing, frequency and level of detail, including the potential production of statistics monthly, will be informed by ongoing work to improve data quality, coverage and user value.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on modes of transport used by commuters in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department holds information on the usual method of travel to work from the Travel to work, England and Wales: Census 2021 publication by the Office for National Statistics. According to this data, 46% of people in employment in the Surrey Heath constituency in 2021 usually travelled to work by driving a car or van. This was followed by 40% working mainly at or from home, and 5% on foot.
Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the travel to work topic.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of driving test waiting times on young people’s ability to access employment and education opportunities.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As acknowledged in the statement made on 18 December 2024 about car practical driving test waiting times, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, including younger drivers.
In the same statement, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners and improving rules for booking driving tests.
For practical driving test candidates, DVSA is still offering the Mobile Emergency Worker (MEW) process for those in critical roles. The process, which was implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, is only for candidates who are a critical worker in England or Wales and work for one of the following:
They must also:
DVSA has shared the MEW application process with all applicable emergency organisations. Candidates who meet this eligibility criteria and want a test, should talk to their employer, who will need to apply on their employee’s behalf.
DVSA is committed to providing customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate, including in rural areas, to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of practical driving tests in rural areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As acknowledged in the statement made on 18 December 2024 about car practical driving test waiting times, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, including younger drivers.
In the same statement, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners and improving rules for booking driving tests.
For practical driving test candidates, DVSA is still offering the Mobile Emergency Worker (MEW) process for those in critical roles. The process, which was implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, is only for candidates who are a critical worker in England or Wales and work for one of the following:
They must also:
DVSA has shared the MEW application process with all applicable emergency organisations. Candidates who meet this eligibility criteria and want a test, should talk to their employer, who will need to apply on their employee’s behalf.
DVSA is committed to providing customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate, including in rural areas, to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the results of the pilot schemes for renting e-scooters.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department monitors how the e-scooter trials are running on a continuing basis to ensure they are operating safely and developing the evidence base that will inform our future decisions on e-scooters.
A second national evaluation of e-scooter trials will start early this year. This will look to understand what journeys are being replaced by e-scooter journeys and how they integrate with public transport; their safety for users and for others; and examine accessibility impacts of e-scooters. It will also explore changing travel patterns since the coronavirus pandemic, when the trials were initially set up, and as e-scooters have become more embedded in public life.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12927 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the hazard ratios for heart-related conditions reported in Pfizer study abstract entitled Non-Interventional Study Interim Study Report 5 Abstract C4591021, dated 12 March 2024, on the Civil Aviation Authority's regime of aeromedicals which are designed to reduce the risk of sudden incapacitation of pilots during flight.
Answered by Mike Kane
The data in the Pfizer report does not support the assertion that vaccination causes a clinically significant increase in the risk of any conditions that could prevent a safety-critical worker from undertaking their work.
Pilots continue to undergo regular medical examination with cardiovascular examination and with periodic resting electrocardiograms (ECGs). Any anomalies recorded on an ECG are reviewed by a cardiologist and further investigations undertaken if appropriate. In this way, any cardiac conditions, are screened for among those applying to hold a pilot medical certificate, including those that might arise in relation to COVID infection and management.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expedited tests for people who require a driving license to secure (a) training or (b) employment in key worker roles.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.
For practical driving test candidates, DVSA is still offering the Mobile Emergency Worker (MEW) process for those in critical roles. The process, which was implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, is for candidates who are a critical worker in England or Wales and work for one of the following:
They must also:
The MEW application process has been shared with all applicable emergency organisations. Candidates who meet this eligibility criteria and want a test, should talk to their employer, who will need to apply on their employee’s behalf.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11269 on Electric Scooters: Hire Services, whether he plans to announce a decision on extending e-scooter rental trials before the Summer recess.
Answered by Anthony Browne
E-scooter trials have been extended to 31 May 2026. Extending the trials beyond May 2024 will enable us to build on current learning across areas including usage, safety, and environmental impacts, and to explore changing travel patterns since the coronavirus pandemic and as e-scooters become more embedded in public life.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people usually resident in the UK travelled to the UK via (a) sea, (b) tunnel and (c) air in each year between 2013 and 2022.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of people usually resident in the UK that travelled to the UK via sea, tunnel, or air in each year between 2013 and 2022.
Data on the number of visits abroad by UK residents from 2013 to 2022 is available, however. This data is published in table TSGB0113 of the Transport Statistics Great Britain publication and reproduced as Table 1 below. The data in this table is collected as part of the Office for National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey, but the Department for Transport does not hold equivalent data for UK residents travelling to the UK. It is assumed that most UK residents travelling abroad will return to the UK at the end of their visit, but not always by the same mode of transport.
Table 1: Visits abroad by UK residents (in thousands) by mode of transport
Year | Air | Sea | Channel Tunnel | Total |
2013 | 54,862 | 7,980 | 6,117 | 68,959 |
2014 | 57,893 | 8,173 | 6,138 | 72,204 |
2015 | 63,438 | 7,902 | 6,278 | 77,619 |
2016 | 68,342 | 7,639 | 5,776 | 81,757 |
2017 | 73,746 | 7,489 | 6,007 | 87,242 |
2018 | 76,356 | 7,496 | 6,719 | 90,571 |
2019 | 79,534 | 7,150 | 6,402 | 93,086 |
2020 [Note 1] | [x] | [x] | [x] | [x] |
2021 [Note 2] [Note 3] | 17,061 | 1,174 | 907 | 19,142 |
2022 [Note 2] | 62,243 | 4,371 | 4,337 | 70,950 |
Note 1: No data were collected for Q2 to Q4 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Due to data only being available for the first 3 months of 2020, this year has been omitted.
Note 2: Data collection from Dover port was restarted in Q3 2021 but no data were collected from the Eurotunnel for 2021 and the first two quarters of 2022. Eurotunnel estimates for Q4 2021, Q1 2022 and Q2 2022 are based on modelling passenger numbers with the data collected from the London Eurostar terminal.
Note 3: Movements across the Irish land border are excluded from 2021.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tsgb01-modal-comparisons
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of passenger journeys made on local bus services by (a) metropolitan area and (b) urban-rural status for 2022-23 in (i) England, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iii) Leeds.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Department publishes annual National Statistics on bus passenger journeys, with the statistics for the year ending March 2023 provisionally set to be published in October 2023. The statistics do not present figures for Leeds as the data is not collected at this level of granularity, instead figures for West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority are available. All other requested breakdowns are available.
All of the Department’s annual, quarterly and compendium statistical releases for the coming year can be found on the forthcoming publication schedule on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/statistics#see-our-forthcoming-publications
An alternative measure of bus passenger journeys for Great Britain for the year ending March 2023 is available via our Domestic Transport Usage by Mode statistics that are published monthly on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic