The County All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and and the County Councils Network (CCN) is undertaking an independent inquiry into the decline of rural bus services in county and rural areas.
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CIHT has submitted a response to the Health of the Bus Market Inquiry by County APPG and the CCN today (29/07/2020). The consultation focussed on the poor state of rural bus services which are widely recognised as having been in decline over the past few years.
The consultation sought views on how to improve bus services in rural areas. CIHT believes that public transport is a vital component of a modern transport network and also called for increased funding for bus services in our 2020 Budget submission to HM Treasury.
There is a need to subsidise bus services in rural communities. The true cost and benefit of running these services must be considered, and not just the operating cost versus the fare box revenue. A wider assessment that includes social value, environmental impacts, carbon footprint, access to jobs and more should be used.
With that said, CIHT also recognise that there are potential benefits in innovating bus services. One such innovation relates to the digitalisation of bus services and flexible, or demand responsive, bus services. In CIHT’s recent submission to the Department for Transport’s Future of Transport Regulatory Review we advocated a more flexible regulatory regime that must allow local authorities to develop services that are suited to their local contexts.
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