Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they will adopt to allocate the funds available for the Bus Service Improvement Plans, as outlined in the report by the National Bus Strategy for England Bus Back Better, published on 15 March 2021; and whether further funds will be allocated as a result of adjustments to the Department for Transport's budget.

We have received Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) from all English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London. Those plans will be assessed against criteria including bus priority measures and targeted fares reductions, as set out in the National Bus Strategy and in supplementary guidance to local authorities and bus operators published in May 2021.

At the Budget we announced £1.2 billion of new dedicated funding for bus transformation deals, part of over £3 billion of new spend on buses over this Parliament. We will announce further details on BSIP funding allocations in due course.