Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the number of jobs and businesses that rely on the Bus Service Operators Grant; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this Grant on the availability of bus services in Merseyside.

The Bus Service Operators Grant is paid to operators of eligible local bus services and community transport organisations to help them recover some of their fuel costs. This benefits passengers by reducing fares and supporting some bus routes which might otherwise cease to be served. The Grant supports jobs and businesses by making employment accessible to a greater number of people and providing a wider catchment area of qualified employees to businesses.

Currently there are no plans to estimate the number of jobs and businesses that rely on the Grant.

We have not made a separate assessment of the effect of the Grant on bus services in Merseyside.