Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on (a) the number of buses purchased with Government funding that are fitted with air conditioning and (b) whether operators are required to use fitted air conditioning when those vehicles are in passenger service.

The Department for Transport does not hold information on the number of buses purchased with Government funding that are fitted with air conditioning.

The Public Service Vehicles (Conditions of Fitness, Equipment, Use and Certification) Regulations 1981 require that adequate ventilation is provided for passengers and the driver without the necessity for opening any main window or windscreen. The regulations do not specifically require operators to use air conditioning where it is fitted. Bus operators are responsible for ensuring that their vehicles comply with the regulatory requirements and that their employees have access to healthy and safe working conditions.