Greater clarity needed for the future of the bus

The Department of Transport needs to provide greater clarity on what it wants to achieve and how it will measure success, if its forthcoming national strategy for improving bus services is to succeed.

That is the verdict of a new report from the National Audit Office, which found that, between 2010-11 and 2018-19, the number of bus journeys fell in 65 of 88 English local transport authorities outside London and by 10 per cent overall.

Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a drastic reduction in bus travel across the country and created uncertainties about future travel habits. Juts before the pandemic struck, the government committed £5 billion over the next five years to promote bus use, alongside an increase in cycling and walking.

Despite the drop off, and a delay in the before mentioned strategy due to the virus, bus travel will likely remain the primary and essential mode of transport for many, especially the most disadvantaged, as they are key to keeping communities connected.

Between 2010-11 and 2018-19, local authorities reduced spending on bus services which operators otherwise would have seen as not commercially viable, more often than not in areas which serve rural and disadvantaged passengers. Of these, 42 reduced funding by more than 50 per cent.

New powers for local authorities to partner with operators and improve services have made little difference as the wider funding pressures on local authorities have increased. The 2017 Bus Services Act (the Act) aimed to strengthen operator-local authority partnership working and gave authorities the power to take control of services under a franchising arrangement. However, since 2010-11, local authorities have reduced spending on local transport by around 40 per cent, which is likely to have had an impact on their ability to work in partnership with local bus operators. It was not until April 2020 that the first partnership using the Act was agreed, and no local authority has yet agreed a franchising arrangement – the Greater Manchester Combined Authority has made the most progress.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “Despite the Department for Transport’s long-stated aim to increase bus use, passenger numbers have fallen since 2010. The Department has funded some valuable local enhancements to bus services but these do not constitute systemic improvement."

“To meet the needs of local people, especially those in rural and disadvantaged communities, the Department’s future bus strategy should match the funding provided to its objectives, and better enable local authorities and operators to work together.”

David Renard, Local Government Association transport spokesperson, said: “We support the NAO’s call for the government to set out a clear, long-term vision for the future of bus travel. Passenger numbers and services have been on a declining trend for some time. Now Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on both current services and the future viability of the current model of funding and delivery of buses outside London.

“We need a complete reset as to how we provide bus services in future, which includes the level of investment and subsidy required to meet the country’s net-zero commitment and the government’s ambition to make public transport and active travel the natural first choice for daily activities. Bus services have a critical role to play in the national recovery from Covid-19 and beyond, through supporting local economies, tackling poor air quality and congestion and reaching the country’s net-zero carbon targets by 2050.

“As part of a new strategy for bus travel, the Spending Review should back the government’s ambition for buses and give councils oversight of local bus services, who are best placed with their local knowledge to define and commission public transport networks."