Labour has set out plans for a better bus network across England, with a promise to allow every community across the country to take back control of local bus services, create and save vital routes, and bring an end to the postcode lottery.
Since buses were deregulated in 1985, bus services in England’s regions outside London have collapsed, with 1.5 BILLION fewer annual bus journeys in 2019 than in 1985, almost 300 million fewer miles driven by buses per year since 2010, and thousands of bus services cut.
Labour’s plans will ensure better value for money for the taxpayer, deliver a better service for passengers, and give local authorities a choice over the bus system that works best for them. It will require no additional central government spending.
A Labour Government will pass new legislation to support local transport authorities to take back control of their bus services. Labour will:
1. Empower local transport authorities and reform funding by giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding and allowing them to plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities.
2. Allow every community to take back control of their buses by removing barriers that currently limit bus franchising powers only to metro mayors.
3. Accelerate the bus franchising process by supporting local leaders to deliver better buses, faster.
4. Step in to safeguard local bus networks by providing more accountability over bus operators and ensuring standards are raised wherever you live across the country.
5. Support public ownership by removing the Conservatives’ ideological ban on publicly-owned bus companies and building on the success of award-winning public bus services still in operation.
Louse Haigh MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, said:
“Reliable, affordable and regular buses are the difference between opportunity and isolation for millions of people across the country. Four decades of disastrous deregulation of Britain’s buses has robbed communities of a say over the vital services that they depend on, instead handing power to unaccountable private operators who have slashed services.
“Labour will give every community the power to take back control of their bus services, and will support local leaders to deliver better buses, faster. Labour’s plans will create and save vital routes and services, end today’s postcode lottery of bus services, and kickstart a revival of bus services across England.”
Rob Newman, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for East Wiltshire, said:
“Residents from across East Wiltshire have told me loud and clear that better local transport is a major priority for them. Connectivity between villages and towns is essential to enabling people to see friends and family, tackle loneliness and isolation, and support local businesses.
“Tory deregulation has been an unalloyed disaster. With Labour’s reforms, our community can take back control of our buses, and put the services in place which will drive a stronger local economy and give people – including older people – their mobility back.”
