Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the policy paper entitled Bus Back Better, published on 15 March 2021, if he will make an estimate of the increase in the number of buses with audio-visual next stop and final destination announcements since the announcement of that policy; and how his Department is monitoring progress on this.

In the 2021 National Bus Strategy, the government committed to require local bus services in Great Britain to provide onboard audible and visible information, subject to final analysis.

The provision of accessible information is monitored through the Department’s annual bus statistics survey^[1]. In March 2021, 34% of buses across Great Britain met specific criteria on the provision of audible and visible information. The statistics for 2022 are yet to be published.

We do not routinely collect statistics on the split between equipment retrofitted to vehicles and installed at the point of manufacture. We will publish the consultation response and confirm our next steps in due course.

^[1] Annual bus statistics: year ending March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)