Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Bus Service Recovery Grant will be extended beyond March 2022.

We have provided unprecedented support for local transport during the pandemic. For bus, operators and local authorities have received funding through the £1.5bn Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant, and the ongoing £226.5m Bus Recovery Grant.

The Government is committed to seeing the bus sector return to financial self- sufficiency. Discussions are ongoing regarding the costs and benefits of measures to support the sector beyond April, and we are working closely with stakeholders to understand the potential challenges and possible mitigations once recovery funding ends. Recognising the need for further support, an additional £29m uplift will be provided to recipients of the Bus Recovery Grant this financial year.