Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords] Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Department for Transport
Paul Kohler Portrait Mr Kohler
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I agree. We must not focus only on passenger numbers. It is also about connectivity, and about making sure that rural areas thrive.

Monica Harding Portrait Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)
- Hansard - -

I would like to concentrate not just on purely rural areas, but on places like Surrey. In my constituency, the 514 bus connects Esher and Molesey, two important centres of our community, but it runs only twice on weekdays and once on a Saturday. On Sundays it is never to be seen. The service was severely cut back in 2016. To travel a distance of a mile and a half, people have to get a bus more than five miles into London and out again, which takes 40 minutes—

Caroline Nokes Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Order. I have made this point before, but interventions really must be shorter than that. There are many hon. Members who wish to get in.