Local bus services are the most used form of public transport. The Department for Transport published its national bus strategy for England, Bus Back Better, in 2021. Government strategy has sought to make buses more frequent, reliable, better coordinated and cheaper, alongside supporting post-pandemic recovery. While bus services are mostly run on a commercial basis, there is also public funding from DfT and local authorities, with £1.2bn spent on subsidies to the bus sector outside London in 2023-24.
The National Audit Office found in 2020, in its report on improving local bus services outside London, that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic reduction in bus travel across the country and created uncertainties about future travel habits. The Transport Committee, in its 2023 report on the implementation of the National Bus Strategy, found that while the strategy was ambitious, full of good ideas and supported by extra much-needed funding, the promised transformation had not been achieved.
Informed by the NAO’s 2025 report, the PAC will hear from senior DfT officials on subjects including the performance of local bus services and any risks and barriers to improvement.
If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 3 July 2025.
Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere.
Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues.