Bus travel should be free for everyone aged under 22 in England and local authorities should commit to minimum levels of service being provided, a group of MPs has urged.
Members of the Transport Select Committee have called for the Government to back major reforms to reverse a “decade of decline” in the country’s bus services.
The number of bus journeys taken in England outside of London fell from 4.6 billion in 2009 to 3.6 billion in 2024, a reduction of 21.7%.
And the situation in the North East is even more stark – with a drop of more than 37% in that same time period, down from 209 million yearly journeys to just 131 million according to Department for Transport (DfT) figures.
In a report published on Wednesday, the Transport Committee calls for ministers to ensure enough funding is provided to guarantee that “socially necessary” routes to schools and hospitals do not fall victim to cuts by private bus operators.
The MPs also suggest launching free bus passes for all under-22s in England, mirroring a free travel offer in Scotland, and for the DfT to adopt a national ambition for councils to provide a minimum level of public transport connectivity by 2029.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness pledged free travel for under-18s in her manifesto and has begun the process of bringing the region’s bus network back under public control, under a franchising model.
That system would allow the North East Combined Authority to decide on routes, fares, service levels instead of private companies, who would instead have to compete for contracts to operate services, though it is expected to take several years to implement.
Such a model has long existed in London and has been adopted in Greater Manchester, but the Transport Committee warns that franchising is “not a silver bullet” and that “hollowed-out” local authorities would need help to address significant gaps in the capacity, expertise, and resources needed to make it work.
Image: Kim McGuinness- North East Mayor on Facebook
Ms McGuinness, whose authority already provides a £1 public transport fare for young people and free travel to care leavers up to the age of 25, said: “I’ve put millions into making travel cheaper or free for young people by subsidising the fares bus companies charge because I know this unlocks a world of opportunity – it means they can choose the college course they want or get to their first job without them or their parents worrying how much that will cost.
“It is good to see MPs recognise the value in what we’re doing and of course I want to go much further and make travel free where it matters most. I said in my manifesto I wanted to make travel free for young people and to do that we first need to take control of local buses, so we are not negotiating a high price every time we want to reduce or keep down fares.
“We are doing the legal work needed to take control of buses now, as fast as we can, so we can start to really control and set fares as well as the times buses run and how often they run.”
Vicki Gilbert, of the North East Public Transport Users Group, called on the mayor to deliver a “radical new vision for bus travel in our region” to reconnect communities cut off from work, education, and leisure due to bus routes being axed.
She added: “We fully support the call for minimum levels of public transport connectivity for our communities, ensuring that everyone has the right to choose to travel by bus if they wish to. Whilst Mayor McGuinness’s commitment to franchising bus services in our region is a step in the right direction, the report shows that franchising alone is not a silver bullet, and it must be done right and alongside other initiatives and alternative transport models like Demand Responsive Transport. Given the latest Stagecoach strikes, we support the call for improvements to contracts for bus industry workers, and a full review of fares including free travel for more groups of society like Under 22s.”
The Government has put forward a Bus Services Bill that would give every local transport authority the power to run services and reduce some of the red tape involved in bus franchising, but the Transport Committee has urged Labour ministers to “go further to get bums back on seats”.
Labour MP Ruth Cadbury, who chairs the committee, said: “Buses are fundamental to many people’s quality of life. Without them, residents on low incomes, older and younger people, face social exclusion or being cut off from employment and services like hospitals or education. In many areas that is tragically already the case.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “After decades of decline, we’re providing a record £1 billion in multi-year funding to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country.
“Our landmark Bus Services Bill will protect routes and prevent services from being scrapped, bringing buses back into local control, and will put passengers at the heart of services. We have also stepped in to prevent a fare hike for passengers by extending the £3 fare cap until March 2027.”
