Written questions by Mayer.

What steps she is taking to create active travel routes (a) to and (b) through green spaces.

Active Travel England (ATE) recently announced £222.5 million of funding for local authorities to support the development and build out of local networks. It is for local authorities to decide on priorities for this investment, including to and through green spaces. In addition, ATE is providing £30 million to Sustrans to develop the National Cycle Network in both rural and urban areas. This is on top of £100,000 previously awarded to each National Park Authority in England to develop active travel network plans. These are also designed to improve access to green space for residents and visitors alike.

What the average time taken was for a local authority to adopt a road in each local authority in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold this information. Adoption of roads that are not maintainable at public expense is a matter for the relevant local highway authority, and the Department does not typically intervene in such matters. The Department provides advice to developers and highway authorities on the process, which can be found on gov.uk at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-of-roads-by-highway-authorities.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for active travel on national river walks.

The Government is progressing plans to designate nine new National River Walks across England, one in each region, to enhance access to nature. This is a priority for us, and we are currently evaluating several delivery options and potential locations. The Department will work with Defra to ensure the nine new walks are accessible, incorporating active travel options where it is possible to do so. Active Travel England provides funding to Local Authorities to build out Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) and to Sustrans to manage the National Cycle Network (NCN). A package of almost £300 million over 24/25 and 25/26 for active travel was announced on 12 February 2025. Funding for Sustrans and local authorities can be utilised on national river walks.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 25028 on Buses: Sales, for what reason an end-of-sale date is not set for coaches.

No decision has been taken on whether to set an end of sale date for new non-zero emission coaches. We will consider all options to support the decarbonisation of the coach fleet.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing regulations for community transport provision.

Community transport operators play a vital role in connecting people with their communities, enabling access to employment, education and other essential services. Recognising the value of these services of social benefit, often provided by charities, the system of section 19 and section 22 permits provided in the Transport Act 1985 allows not-for-profit community transport operators to operate public service vehicles (PSVs) without the associated costs of a PSV operator’s licence.The section 19 and section 22 permit system continues to support community transport services across the country and the Government provides guidance on the rules for permits and how to apply for them at Section 19 and 22 permits and obligations: not for profit passenger transport - GOV.UK.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating her Department's guidance for local transport authorities to require them to have an alternative dispute resolution when franchising services.

The Department for Transport published guidance to local authorities on tendering for road passenger transport contracts in 2013. This included advice on dispute resolution. There are no plans to revise that guidance because there are no specific rules or requirements for tendering or awarding bus contracts in buses legislation. It is for individual franchising authorities to determine the appropriate dispute resolution process when tendering or awarding local service contracts.

How the proposed statutory powers of Metro Mayors for rail services will operate under Great British Railways.

The statutory role for mayors in governing, managing, planning and developing the rail network intends to bring decision making within Great British Railways as close as possible to local communities. This will empower local leaders and support the development of seamless, integrated transport networks and a public transport system that properly serves local areas. Further detail will be outlined in an upcoming consultation on the Railways Bill, which will be published soon.

Whether the new government-backed train ticket website will include a search facility to help people affected by train delays find actual past (a) departure and (b) arrival times to support their claims under the Delay Repay scheme.

Once Great British Railways is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. It will work alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail. Exact plans will now be developed in close partnership with industry, the private sector and wider stakeholders, with further detail to be consulted on shortly as part of the Railways Bill consultation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 18740 on Driving Tests, whether the DVSA has developed a training schedule for organisations requiring delegated examiners in 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is continuing to explore this matter in a way which balances all of the demands on DVSA’s training resource. Further information will be provided as soon as possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the allocation of the transport budget in England for walking and cycling initiatives.

The Government recognises that investment in active travel supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions by helping to revitalise high streets, reduce emissions, and enable people to live longer, healthier lives. We have already announced an additional £100 million investment in walking and cycling infrastructure for 2025/26, to enable local authorities to install cycling infrastructure and upgrade pavements and paths. Decisions on funding for active travel for 2026/27 and beyond will be a matter for the Spending Review.

How many driver shortages have been reported by each rail company in the most recent period for which data is available.

Driver shortages and unavailability cause delays and cancellations, and so it is a very high priority for this government to ensure operators have sufficient number of drivers trained and available across the network. Train operators use a variety of measures to track availability of drivers. For example, total headcount against target, unavailability due to training, illness or leave and levels of overtime, which may be used to balance fluctuations in availability. While these measures are not systematically reported to the Department, ministers have commissioned work to look in detail at the impact of driver unavailability on train performance and suggest options to improve.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing regulations for demand responsive transport.

The Department has supported sixteen demand responsive transport (DRT) trials through the Rural Mobility Fund (RMF). Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process which will provide a better understanding of challenges associated with introducing and operating DRT, including those arising from regulation. An interim monitoring data collection and process evaluation report was published in September 2023 and a second concluding process evaluation report will be published later this year.There is recognition that the regulatory framework covering DRT is complex, not least because it includes elements of taxi, private hire vehicle and bus legislation, including vehicles using community transport permits. We keep all policies under review and my officials have regular engagement with a range of stakeholders across the DRT sector, ensuring that key regulatory issues are considered.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a separate regulatory framework for Demand-Responsive Transport services, distinct from taxi and bus regulations.

There is recognition that the regulatory framework covering demand responsive transport (DRT) is complex, not least because it includes elements of taxi, private hire vehicle and bus legislation, including vehicles using community transport permits. We keep all policies under review and my officials have regular engagement with a range of stakeholders across the DRT sector, ensuring that key regulatory issues are considered.

Whether the final evaluation report for the Rural Mobility Fund will include a conclusion on the optimum zone size for Demand-Responsive Transport services.

The Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) impact and value for money evaluation will seek to explore what works best, when and why in the RMF scheme areas (rural and suburban). However, it may be the case that there is no single optimal zone size, as the optimal size may vary depending on the number of vehicles in operation, hours of operation, traffic congestion, rurality, population density, other transport infrastructure and connections and demographics. Additionally, DRT Best Practice Guidance is being developed which will support local authorities in determining whether DRT might be a suitable option in certain areas.

When she expects the final evaluation report for the Rural Mobility Fund to be published.

The Rural Mobility Fund evaluation consists of two elements – a first stage including monitoring data collection and a process evaluation and a second stage including impact and value for money evaluation. An interim monitoring data collection and process evaluation report was published in September 2023 and a second concluding process evaluation report will be published later this year. The impact and value for money evaluation will be published in 2026.

If she will make a comparative assessment of the potential advantages of TransXChange over the GTFS Plus format for bus Real Time Information provision.

The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information. The Department for Transport ran a public consultation on Bus Open Data policy prior to the launch of BODS, which included consideration of the use of different data formats, including TransXChange and GTFS. The response to this consultation can be found on GOV.UK at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ca4b38d40f0b625eb19dba5/bus-open-data-consultation-response.pdf.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making it a mandatory requirement for bus Real-Time Information (a) apps and (b) roadside displays to mark when data is taken from scheduled bus service information as opposed to a calculation based on live data.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is working closely with bus operators and local transport authorities to improve the information available to passengers about their bus services. The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information. Bus operators are obliged to have working systems to provide real-time information for bus services in order to fulfil the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations. As part of this work, the government understands the importance of having real time information widely accessible in a range of spaces that passengers use, and is conscious of the need to continually consider new ways to improve access to real-time information, whilst staying in line with wider government digital and data strategies. The government also recognises the importance of building local transport authority (LTA) capacity and capability to improving bus services. The government has allocated funding in 25/26 to each LTA in England outside London to support the capacity and capability of local areas. This builds on the work of the government-funded Bus Centre of Excellence which seeks to deliver a long-term programme of activities to support and upskill the bus sector.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of training and skills available within local transport authorities to effectively (a) manage and (b) resolve issues related to Real-Time Information data provision and accuracy.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is working closely with bus operators and local transport authorities to improve the information available to passengers about their bus services. The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information. Bus operators are obliged to have working systems to provide real-time information for bus services in order to fulfil the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations. As part of this work, the government understands the importance of having real time information widely accessible in a range of spaces that passengers use, and is conscious of the need to continually consider new ways to improve access to real-time information, whilst staying in line with wider government digital and data strategies. The government also recognises the importance of building local transport authority (LTA) capacity and capability to improving bus services. The government has allocated funding in 25/26 to each LTA in England outside London to support the capacity and capability of local areas. This builds on the work of the government-funded Bus Centre of Excellence which seeks to deliver a long-term programme of activities to support and upskill the bus sector.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a single, universal app for bus Real-Time Information provision.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is working closely with bus operators and local transport authorities to improve the information available to passengers about their bus services. The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information. Bus operators are obliged to have working systems to provide real-time information for bus services in order to fulfil the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations. As part of this work, the government understands the importance of having real time information widely accessible in a range of spaces that passengers use, and is conscious of the need to continually consider new ways to improve access to real-time information, whilst staying in line with wider government digital and data strategies. The government also recognises the importance of building local transport authority (LTA) capacity and capability to improving bus services. The government has allocated funding in 25/26 to each LTA in England outside London to support the capacity and capability of local areas. This builds on the work of the government-funded Bus Centre of Excellence which seeks to deliver a long-term programme of activities to support and upskill the bus sector.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of potential impact of the switch-off of 2G and 3G networks on the (a) accuracy and (b) availability of Real-Time Information for bus services in rural areas.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is working closely with bus operators and local transport authorities to improve the information available to passengers about their bus services. The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) was launched in 2020 and requires all bus operators of local services in England to provide passengers with high-quality, accurate and up-to-date passenger information including timetables, fares, tickets and vehicle location information. Bus operators are obliged to have working systems to provide real-time information for bus services in order to fulfil the requirements of the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations. As part of this work, the government understands the importance of having real time information widely accessible in a range of spaces that passengers use, and is conscious of the need to continually consider new ways to improve access to real-time information, whilst staying in line with wider government digital and data strategies. The government also recognises the importance of building local transport authority (LTA) capacity and capability to improving bus services. The government has allocated funding in 25/26 to each LTA in England outside London to support the capacity and capability of local areas. This builds on the work of the government-funded Bus Centre of Excellence which seeks to deliver a long-term programme of activities to support and upskill the bus sector.