Buses are a particularly important form of transport for the young, older people, people with disabilities, and lower income households.
Despite their importance, bus services in England outside London have been in long-term decline. Passenger numbers had dropped, and the size of the bus network had reduced in the decade leading up to the pandemic, while ticket costs had increased more quickly than rail fares and motoring costs.
Successive governments have sought to improve services for passengers and increase bus usage, and more recently to make bus journeys greener.
This report examines bus services in England outside London, looking at:
whether the performance of bus services has improved since 2020;
whether DfT understands the effectiveness of its interventions to improve bus services; and
whether DfT is set up to address the remaining barriers to improving local bus services