Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her proposed timeline is for publishing her Department's response to the consultation and evidence-gathering exercise on removing the 50km restriction for 18 to 20-year-old bus and coach drivers.

In April 2024, the previous government launched a consultation to help support driver recruitment, including a measure to amend licensing restrictions which would enable 18 to 19-year-olds to drive a bus and coach over 50km when driving a regular service, aiming help to increase the number of available bus drivers, particularly for longer, more rural routes.

Following the change of government, the Department has re-engaged with industry to better understand the likely effect of removing the current restrictions.

Once all responses have been gathered, they will be considered alongside contributions from other stakeholders. This combined evidence base will be used to determine our next steps.