A campaign win for buses!

5 September 2025  |  Jess Fitch  |  Buses

Buses are crucial in smaller towns and rural areas, where they are often the only option for people who can’t – or prefer not to – drive. But in many such areas, buses are infrequent or unreliable if they exist at all.

“I live in a small village. We have a limited bus service Monday to Friday, nothing at all in the evenings or on Sundays. It would be impossible to have a social life without access to a car. I’m 78 and do wonder about the future.”
– David, Wiltshire

So, when the Transport Select Committee (a group of MPs which advises the Government on transport policy) launched its inquiry, Buses Connecting Communities, we were very pleased to get involved. We submitted written evidence to the inquiry, and our Director of Policy and Campaigns, Silviya, was also invited to give oral evidence.

The Committee published its final report in August, and we were glad to see that it included a number of our flagship asks in its recommendations, including:

• The Government should publish guidance on minimum service levels to ensure that every community has a usable bus service
• There should be needs-based, long-term funding for buses
• Gaps in bus provision should be identified and filled with new services

“The Department for Transport should change the way funding is provided to ensure councils and bus firms would be committed to running socially necessary services… To achieve this the sector will need greater financial certainty, which is why we say the Government should announce funding in five-year blocks.”
– Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee

We are also delighted that the Transport Select Committee recommends having a national standard for bus stops, as we called for in our Better Bus Stops report. At the moment, too many bus stops lack seating, shelter, and basic timetable information.

We are so glad to have been able to get these all-important policy asks in front of the people making the decisions that shape our transport system.

The Transport Select Committee’s report contains the ingredients for a rural bus renaissance that could truly change lives. Its recommendations, if adopted, would take us a large step closer to a society where people’s needs are met, opportunities are unlocked and lives enriched.

The Government is making good progress towards improving buses, but if it wants its bus revolution to reach the towns and villages that need it most sorely, it should heed this bold and positive report.