The ‘Local Bus Services in England’ report examines bus services in England outside London, looking at:

• whether the performance of bus services has improved since 2020;
• whether the Department for Transport (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

NAO has acknowledged the important role that is and should be played by the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE). 

"To support the longer-term capability needs of local transport authorities, DfT established the Bus Centre of Excellence in 2023. The Centre provides training courses, cohort learning and seminars to share skills and best practice within the bus sector."

And notes that

"the Centre is developing resources to help local transport authorities consider different franchising models."

Their recommendations included the need for the Department for Transport to:

• develop the Bus Centre of Excellence to support local transport authorities and bus operators in the activity that will help achieve the outcomes DfT wants; in doing so, DfT should consider how this could include areas such as:
  • facilitating secondments within the sector, between bus operators and government;
  • collating and sharing of best practice that is relevant to challenges faced by local transport authorities with different characteristics; and
    providing expert advice on areas relating to capital projects

‘Local Bus Services in England’ draws the below conclusions:

• Successive governments have aimed to improve bus services for passengers and attract more people to use buses. Despite significant investment from government, these outcomes are not yet being achieved. 
• COVID-19 disrupted DfT’s plans and required a shift in focus towards supporting the short-term survival of the bus sector. This has meant that, while progress has been made, long-standing issues with the performance of the bus sector remain.
• The commercial viability of the sector has weakened, and passengers have seen services reduce. In a changed landscape where local transport authorities will have increasing influence over bus services, it is essential that DfT provides the sector with the tools it needs to succeed. 
• While responsibility for individual bus services sits at a local level, DfT needs to ensure at a national level that its funding and policy interventions are enabling the outcomes it wants.

You can find out more about the report here:

The Bus Centre of Excellence

The National Bus Strategy created the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE), funded by the Department for Transport, enabling the delivery of a long-term programme of activities and support to the bus sector.  In partnership with the DfT, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) delivers the BCoE, working closely with sector stakeholders to deliver an asset that is run by the industry for the industry.

Find out more about the work of the Centre at: 

https://www.buscentreofexcellence.org.uk/