Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to provide funding for end-to-end journey research to help improve passenger experiences on public transport.

The Department has a large research programme into the passenger experiences on public transport, including end to end journeys. This includes research and evaluation projects to build the evidence base on what works to improve public transport, and measure the impact of public transport investment for passengers, including:

• Research to segment the bus market with the aim to better understand how Government can drive improvements in passenger experience and target interventions to improve bus services and increase bus usage.
• Ongoing surveys and statistical publications, including the National Travel Survey, which measure changes in travel behaviours and passenger satisfaction.
• Evaluation of the Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) to improve understanding of disabled people’s experiences using the transport network, including individual modes and the journey as a whole, and the impact of the ITS upon this.
• Future evaluation of bus improvement pilots and large public transport investments including City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) and bus transformational funding through Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), as well as on Enhanced Partnerships and the wider National Bus Strategy. CRSTS and BSIP funding allocations for both funds were announced on 4 April 2022.