Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department had made of the potential impact of (a) reduced or (b) higher levels of funding to bus operators in the extension of the Bus Recovery Grant funding settlement.

The Government provided over £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding for bus services in England outside London from March 2020 through to 30 June 2023, when the Bus Recovery Grant ended. On 17 May, the Government announced a long-term approach to support and improve bus services with an additional £300 million from July 2023 until April 2025. £160 million of this funding is going to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to protect and enhance bus services, and support local fares initiatives, and £140 million will go to bus operators to protect services.

The Department carefully considers the impact on the bus sector of all funding decisions alongside value for money for the taxpayer for any interventions.