Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to (a) local and (b) combined authorities to help them achieve their public transport objectives for (I) buses and (II) rail.

The Government is providing over £1billion to 34 local transport authorities, including combined authorities, to support the delivery of their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs).

£5.7 billion has also been allocated to eight Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) as part of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), investing in a range of local transport initiatives, including bus and rail schemes. This funding is for 5 years from April 2022.

In addition, £23m bus capacity funding was allocated to all LTAs in 2021/22 to support the development and delivery of their BSIPs and Enhanced Partnerships. A further £11m has been provided in 2022/23 for those LTAs that did not receive BSIP funding.

The Government has also made available £2 billion since March 2020, through emergency and recovery grants, to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the bus sector. A further £250 million is provided annually to bus operators and Local Transport Authorities through the Bus Service Operators Grant to support bus services.

In 2022/23, the Department for Transport is providing funding of £113m in total to eight local or combined authorities to help them achieve their public transport objectives for rail.