Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on bus services in the South West of ending the emergency covid funding in March 2022.
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has provided unprecedented levels of financial support to the bus sector, with over £1.5bn in emergency funding and an additional £226.5m in recovery funding. The Department continues to work closely with the bus sector to assess its financial needs. Officials are meeting regularly with bus operator and local authority representatives to understand the implications of the Bus Recovery Grant ending in April 2022 and are actively exploring the case for any extension to funding. To further assist the sector in the short term, we are providing an additional £29m uplift to Bus Recovery Grant claimants this financial year.