Chair reacts to Department for Transport announcement of a long-term bus strategy
30 September 2019
In May 2019, the Transport Committee published a report urging Government to set out a single strategy for bus services. Bus Services in England outside London, considered the health of the bus market and called on Government to set out clear ambitions to halt the decline in bus use.
Transport Select Committee Chair, Lilian Greenwood MP, said:
“I am delighted that the Department for Transport is finally on board with a national strategy for buses. This represents a major achievement given that the former Secretary of State for Transport told our Committee inquiry that his Department didn't ‘really do buses'. Passengers, industry, campaigners and MPs have been urging Government to set out clear ambitions for bus services, just like rail investment and road development. A single strategy for bus use was central to our findings and the most widely used form of public transport is due this attention.
“Our May 2019 Report into the health of the bus market revealed a picture of steady decline in bus use amid uncoordinated, fragmented government policy and squeezed funding for local authorities. The DfT could do worse than starting with our Report which is based on solid evidence from passengers, transport groups, local authorities and bus operators. We will be looking to see exactly what's on offer when the national strategy is published next year.”
Further information
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