Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of rural bus services in England.

Local authorities have published Bus Service Improvement Plans, as the National Bus Strategy asked, which provide an assessment of existing services in their area, including detail of current provision of rural bus services. These plans were subject to a detailed assessment and thirty-one counties, city regions and unitary authorities have subsequently been selected to receive a share of funding to level up their local bus services, drawing on the £1.2 billion announced at last year’s Spending Review, as part of the £3 billion we have promised for buses over this Parliament. The successful areas were prioritised based on criteria, which took rural considerations into account, in line with the National Bus Strategy and the supplementary guidance published in May 2021. Rural areas in receipt of indicative funding include Norfolk, Derbyshire, Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

The National Bus Strategy encourages consideration of demand responsive transport for areas where demand is more dispersed, and the distances involved make it more challenging to offer services meeting residents’ diverse needs. We awarded funding to 17 pilot projects through the £20 million Rural Mobility Fund to trial innovative, demand responsive services. The schemes provide real-world experience and data to develop our understanding of introducing such services in rural areas.