Oral Answers to Questions

Rebecca Smith Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

I fear that the right hon. Gentleman may have misunderstood the proposals for reform in the Railways Bill. In future, open access decisions will be taken by Great British Railways, and applicants will have a right of appeal to the ORR. There is no conflict of interest. I can also assure him that in the past I have been as supportive, from the Department for Transport, as Network Rail has been of the open access application from Wrexham, Shropshire and the west midlands, and I will maintain my support for the proposals going forward.

[Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)]

8. Whether her Department plans to reinstate the £2 bus fare cap.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)]

Only the Labour party has a serious, sustainable plan to provide better bus services across the country, with affordable fares and lifeline services where people need them most, including in rural areas. The Government’s £3 bus fare cap is helping passengers save money on everyday journeys, which is why we have extended it until March next year. Alongside that, we have announced £3 billion in multi-year bus funding allocations, to give local authorities the flexibility to set fares below £3 where they choose to.

[Rebecca Smith]

Young people in my constituency, many of whom have to travel long distances from rural areas, are concerned about the cost of bus fares, especially since the increase from the Conservative £2 bus fare cap to a £3 bus fare cap under Labour. In fact, many are supportive of the Transport Committee’s recommendation that bus travel should be free until the age of 22, to enable easy access to education and work. What response does the Minister have for those young people?

[Lilian Greenwood]

The hon. Member is right to raise concerns about the affordability of bus fares. Unfortunately, the previous Government talked about maintaining the cap, but allocated absolutely no funding to doing so. That is why we have introduced the £3 cap, but we are also supporting local transport authorities with bus funding, and enabling them to make decisions about how they want to use the funding, including to provide lower fares for young people.