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1717665

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the eligibility age for a free bus pass to 60.
tabling member constituency	Loughborough
tabling member printed	Jane Hunt
uin	26010
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those who have reached state pension age, currently aged sixty-six. ENCTS costs around £1 billion annually and any changes to the minimum statutory scheme, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would need to be carefully considered for their impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations and extend free bus travel to those not eligible for ENCTS, however, these additional concessions are not funded by central government but by local authorities from local resources, such as council tax. Since 2010/11 almost all of the travel concession authorities in England have offered some form of discretionary concession.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 21/05/2024 09:43:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4839 label Biography information for Jane Hunt

1689105

registered interest
date	16/02/2024
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2024 to Question 11716 on Travel: Concessions, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) the devolved Administrations and (b) the London Assembly on concessionary bus travel.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	13916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>No.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 26/02/2024 17:00:18 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1667876

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the £2 bus fare cap on passenger numbers in rural areas.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	633
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>The Department for Transport is running a Monitoring and Evaluation exercise to review the £2 bus fare cap scheme so that we will be in position to properly assess the impact it has had on bus fares and patronage. The Department has now published two interim reports on GOV.UK, found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap</a>, and will publish the final report evaluating the impact of the £2 fare cap by the end of Spring 2024.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Department for Transport's local bus fare statistics show that between June 22 and June 23, bus fares have dropped by 7.4% in England, outside London, and by 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England. In Scotland, Wales and London, where the buses are devolved, fares increased by 10.3%, 6.3% and 6.0%, respectively.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 15/11/2023 16:53:28 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1667879

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage more bus operators to participate in the £2 bus fare cap.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	635
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government is investing nearly £600 million to deliver a £2 fare cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers save on their regular travel costs, which the Prime Minister recently announced would be extended until the end of 2024.</p><p><br> The Department for Transport has worked to ensure the fare cap is designed to be as equitable as possible in terms of its support for passengers across England, and worked closely with bus operators in designing and implementing the scheme to try and encourage their participation. This includes reducing the administrative burden on operators where possible. Ultimately, however, participation in the scheme from operators is voluntary and this is therefore a decision for them to take.</p><p>The Department for Transport's local bus fare statistics show that between June 22 and June 23, bus fares have dropped by 7.4% in England, outside London, and by 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England. In Scotland, Wales and London, where the buses are devolved, fares increased by 10.3%, 6.3% and 6.0%, respectively</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 15/11/2023 16:13:06 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1667880

registered interest
date	07/11/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department made an assessment of the impact of the rurality of each council area on the level of funding provided for each bus service improvement plan.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of transport provision in rural areas and is committed to finding solutions which ensure that local communities in these areas have viable and improved transport services.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is supporting LTAs and bus operators with the provision of local bus services. Over £1 billion was allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the first phase of funding for LTAs to deliver their BSIPs. All other LTAs received funding from the £160m BSIP+ fund announced in May 2023. On 4 October Government announced new funding of over £1bn from redirected HS2 funding to levelling up bus services across the North and Midlands, with £150m allocated for 2024/25. This funding has been provided to both urban and rural areas (e.g. Shropshire).</p><p>We have also announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025. On top of this, we have extended the £2 fare cap, which includes Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) funded through the Rural Mobility Fund (RMF), until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares.</p><p> </p><p>LTAs in receipt of BSIP and/or BSIP+ funding may use the funding to target it on the actions that they – and local operators through their Enhanced Partnership (where relevant) – believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and thus maintaining service levels, whilst maintaining essential social and economic connectivity for local communities.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 15/11/2023 16:11:55 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1657414

registered interest
date	01/09/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of reducing the age at which people become eligible for an older person's bus pass.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	197299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2023 answer text <p>Whilst councils can choose to expand the criteria for concessionary travel in their areas, there are no plans to force them to do so.</p> answering member constituency North West Durham answering member printed Mr Richard Holden question first answered 11/09/2023 11:48:05 answering member 4813 label Biography information for Mr Richard Holden
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1648915

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing free bus travel to people aged under 25.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	191838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2023 answer text <p>Previous initial analysis estimated that providing free travel on buses for 16-18 –year-olds across England (outside London) would cost around £500m per year. The population of 16–18-year-olds in England outside London is 1.6 million per the 2021 Census, whereas the respective population of 16–25-year-olds is 5.6 million. The Government currently has no plans to progress this suggestion.</p><p>We have taken broader action to make fares more affordable. We are investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We have allocated over £1 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), of which funding can be used to introduce measures which reduce bus fares for under 25s. For example, we recently confirmed £45.6 million funding for the North East and North of Tyne Combined Authorities to deliver their BSIP, in addition to the initial investment of £117.8 million. Thanks to this funding, Transport North East has launched a £1 fare for the under 22s and the North East Joint Transport Committee agreed to provide free travel passes for 18 to 25 year old care-experienced people.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North West Durham answering member printed Mr Richard Holden grouped question UIN 191840 question first answered 07/07/2023 11:05:35 answering member 4813 label Biography information for Mr Richard Holden
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1648917

registered interest
date	29/06/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to conduct a pilot programme of free bus travel for under 25 year olds.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	191840
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2023 answer text <p>Previous initial analysis estimated that providing free travel on buses for 16-18 –year-olds across England (outside London) would cost around £500m per year. The population of 16–18-year-olds in England outside London is 1.6 million per the 2021 Census, whereas the respective population of 16–25-year-olds is 5.6 million. The Government currently has no plans to progress this suggestion.</p><p>We have taken broader action to make fares more affordable. We are investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We have allocated over £1 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), of which funding can be used to introduce measures which reduce bus fares for under 25s. For example, we recently confirmed £45.6 million funding for the North East and North of Tyne Combined Authorities to deliver their BSIP, in addition to the initial investment of £117.8 million. Thanks to this funding, Transport North East has launched a £1 fare for the under 22s and the North East Joint Transport Committee agreed to provide free travel passes for 18 to 25 year old care-experienced people.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency North West Durham answering member printed Mr Richard Holden grouped question UIN 191838 question first answered 07/07/2023 11:05:35 answering member 4813 label Biography information for Mr Richard Holden
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1628586

registered interest
date	17/05/2023
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing bus fares for students between the ages of 16 and 19.
tabling member constituency	Totnes
tabling member printed	Anthony Mangnall
uin	185690
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2023 answer text <p>In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about offering reduced or discounted fares for commercial bus services are predominantly for operators to take. Many bus operators currently offer discounted travel cards for younger people. Our most recent set of statistics shows that operators in 70 out of 84 travel concession authority areas in England, outside London, offered some form of discounted travel for young people.</p><p>Policy for home to school transport sits with the Department for Education. However, the statutory responsibility for transport to education and training for those aged 16 to 19 rests with local authorities. This enables them to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, the local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available</p><p><br> The Government introduced the £2 fare cap on 1 January to help passengers save on their regular travel costs and to help increase patronage on buses. This scheme was due to end on 30 June, however on 17 May we announced a further investment of up to £200 million to extend the current £2 bus fare cap in place on single tickets 1 July until 31 October. This will be followed by a longer term fare cap of £2.50 from 1 November 2023 to 31 November 2024</p><p><br> We are also investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We have allocated over £1 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans, some of which include the introduction of measures to reduce bus fares for young people. For example, the North East have recently introduced a £1 fare for single bus journeys for the under 22s.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North West Durham answering member printed Mr Richard Holden question first answered 24/05/2023 09:55:38 answering member 4813 label Biography information for Mr Richard Holden
tabling member	4762 label Biography information for Anthony Mangnall

1519403

registered interest
date	10/10/2022
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Bus Services: Concessions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce free off-peak bus travel for the over-60s.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	59423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2022 answer text <p>Funding the concessionary bus pass costs around £1 billion annually, so any changes, such as extending free bus travel to those who are not yet eligible would have an impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. In England, the age of eligibility for the concessionary bus pass is linked to the state pension age. This addresses the anomalous position of non-disabled, working age citizens receiving free bus buses, which in turn supports the financial sustainability of the scheme.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 17/10/2022 13:26:25 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe