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<p>Department for Transport statistics show that in March 2019, 92% of buses in England
outside London were enabled for smart ticketing and 72% offered contactless payment.
The Department for Transport offers bus operators in England outside London an additional
incentive to implement smart ticketing through the Bus Service Operators Grant. Policy
on bus services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>The Government announced in-principle support in October 2019 for
the Mobile Network Operators’ (MNOs) Shared Rural Network (SRN) proposal. The proposal
would share investment costs between the mobile network operators and government and
increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by 2025, with the
biggest improvements seen in the devolved nations. It will be underpinned by a legally
binding coverage commitment from each operator.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The
Government's in-principle support is subject to detailed negotiations. While this
is not yet a done deal, the Prime Minister has made improvements to rural mobile coverage
part of his first 100 days pledge. I will continue to work with the sector to make
that happen.</p><p>Smart ticketing is dependent on good mobile coverage, so improvements
in geographic coverage, including on major roads will facilitate the option for bus
companies to provide smart ticket machines on buses in the rural areas of each nation
of the UK, if they choose to do so.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This Government
is committed to improving digital connectivity overall. It has committed to investing
£5bn to improve broadband connections in the hardest to reach areas of the UK.</p><p>
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