Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will announce whether emergency funding for operating bus services will be extended.

An unprecedented level of financial support has been provided to the bus sector by the Government since the start of the pandemic. Over £1.7bn in emergency and recovery funding has been directly targeted at helping operators and Local Transport Authorities maintain services.

The Department appreciates the sector continues to face challenges as it recovers from the pandemic. To help address these in the short term, the Department is making available an additional £29m to provide an uplift to Bus Recovery Grant payments this financial year.

Discussions are ongoing regarding measures to support the sector beyond April.