Written questions by Mayer.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring utility companies to coordinate the digging up of roads and pavements.

My Department issues statutory guidance in the form of the Co-ordination Code of Practice as we know that effective planning and coordination of works can reduce congestion and impacts of works on local communities. Highway authorities have a duty to co-ordinate all works, including their own, and they are responsible for managing street works in their area.

With reference to her Department's consultation entitled Ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses, what the end sale date is for diesel coaches.

In spring 2022 the Department held a call for evidence about the decarbonisation of coaches, alongside a consultation on ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses. An end of sale date has not been set for coaches.

If she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of utility companies completing street works late in each local authority in the last 12 months for which data is available.

My department does not have the data available to make a detailed assessment of the costs of congestion from overrunning works. If works do overrun, local authorities are able to impose charges of up to £10,000 per day to cover the costs of congestion. We have recently announced that these charges will also be applied to overruns at weekends and on bank holidays to reduce congestion and disruption during these times.

How many and what proportion of direct trains from London Euston to Leighton Buzzard have been cancelled in the last six months, listed by (a) day of the week and (b) time of day.

The percentage of trains cancelled on the London Euston - Leighton Buzzard route over the last six months was approximately four per cent. Cancellations were higher on Mondays at six per cent, 235 trains cancelled out of 3653, and lower on Tuesdays and Thursdays at two per cent of direct trains on this route. Based on the time of the day, most cancellations happened between 12:00-15:00. Proportionally, the highest percentage of cancellations happened after midnight, with three of trains cancelled. If an operator delivers consistently poor performance, the Department can intervene to act in passengers’ best interests. We will continue to press West Midlands Trains to run the most reliable service possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the roll out of the Bus Open Data Service.

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. 85% of bus operators in England have provided timetable, vehicle location and fares data to BODS. The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is improving the information available to passengers about their bus services. Regulations like those for Bus Open Data therefore form an important part of the Department’s efforts to ensure passengers have access to high quality bus services, including up to date, reliable information on where services are. Publishing this data openly provides choice to parents, students and commuters in which apps they use for bus tracking, causing passengers to spend less time waiting at bus stops and helping to ensure they arrive at school or their workplace on time. Local authorities and bus operators also have better information on the punctuality and reliability of buses operating to provide school transport or home to work transport in their areas.

When the second stage of the process evaluation of the Active Travel Fund Tranche 2 will take place.

The Department recently published both stages 1 and 2 of the Active Travel Fund tranche 2 process evaluation. Active Travel England will continue to work with the University of Westminster and Sustrans to consider further evaluation of government investment in active travel and the impact of interventions to encourage more walking, wheeling and cycling.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing (a) home-to-school and (b) home-to-work transport from the registration of local services requirements of the Bus Open Data Service.

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. 85% of bus operators in England have provided timetable, vehicle location and fares data to BODS. The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and part of this work is improving the information available to passengers about their bus services. Regulations like those for Bus Open Data therefore form an important part of the Department’s efforts to ensure passengers have access to high quality bus services, including up to date, reliable information on where services are. Publishing this data openly provides choice to parents, students and commuters in which apps they use for bus tracking, causing passengers to spend less time waiting at bus stops and helping to ensure they arrive at school or their workplace on time. Local authorities and bus operators also have better information on the punctuality and reliability of buses operating to provide school transport or home to work transport in their areas.

How many open access applications (a) were approved in 2024 and (b) are awaiting a decision from the Office of Rail and Road.

The Office of Rail and Road has confirmed to us that in 2024 they approved 2 applications from Open Access operators to provide completely new services and approved a further 8 applications from existing Open Access operators to either continue or make small-scale amendments to existing services.The Office of Rail and Road is currently considering 13 applications from Open Access operators. Details of all decisions and live applications are published on the Office of Rail and Road’s website.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of local authorities franchising bus services on smaller bus operators.

The Bus Services Act 2017 contains a duty for local authorities to make a statement on how they will facilitate participation from small and medium sized operators in service provision as part of the franchising process.The Department, as part of the Impact Assessment for the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, has considered the potential effects of franchising; this includes the effect on small-to-medium-sized operators.The Department is also providing support and guidance to authorities considering franchising and we will continue working with local authorities to develop different franchising models that could be smaller scale, require less financial commitment and support participation from a range of operators.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20346 on Bus Services: ICT, if she will take steps to ensure all new buses include charging points.

The government is committed to delivering better bus services, and wants to make them a strong choice for passengers. Local bus operators have responsibility for managing and maintaining their bus fleets, and we expect them to consider how best to improve the experience for passengers when making decisions about their fleet, including considering making charging points available to passengers on their buses.

What estimate she has made of the proportion of rail journeys eligible for discounts through the 2025 Rail Sale.

Over two million tickets at discounts of up to 50 per cent are available for purchase as part of the Rail Sale. Train operating companies have decided on a commercial basis, the proportion of tickets available at discounted prices on their services.

What data her Department holds on the number of bus incidents where driver fatigue was identified as an issue in (a) 2024 and (b) the last five years for which data is available.

The Department publishes statistics on road collisions and casualties involving personal injury reported by police via the data collection system known as STATS19.Within this system, reporting police officers can assign up to 6 factors which, in their opinion, may have contributed to the collision. Please note that this does not assign blame for the collision to any specific road user but gives an indication of which factors the attending officer thought contributed to the collision.The number of buses or coaches involved in collisions where the contributory factor ‘fatigue’ was assigned to the driver in each of the last 5 years for which data is available are shown in the table. Figures for 2024 are scheduled for publication in September 2025. YearBus/coach in reported road injury collision with contributory factor ‘fatigue’ assigned to driver2019132020720215202212202318

How many Public Service Vehicle operator licences were issued in each of the last five years for which data is available.

The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain collect annual data on the number of active and newly issued public service vehicle (PSV) operator licences and the vehicles authorised to operate under these licences. The number of new PSV operator licences issued in each of the last five years is as follows. Data for the reporting year ‘2024 – January 2025’ is accurate as of 14 January 2025. Reporting Year (April – March)Number of new PSV operator licences grantedNumber of vehicles authorised as a result of a new application2019/2047428102020/2131713232021/2226422922022/2331014632023/2436814512024 – January 20252731401

How many roads were closed during flooding in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) the East of England and (c) nationally in (i) 2024 and (ii) the latest period for which data is available.

The Department recognises the profound importance of our country’s road network in moving people, goods, and services around the country. The impact of closing roads will vary greatly depending on the roads in question and on the scale and severity of the flooding. The Government does not keep centralised lists of local road closures during periods of severe weather and flooding, either in Bedfordshire or nationally. These are matters for local highway authorities.Bedford Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, as the relevant local highway authorities for Bedfordshire, are responsible for the management of their respective local networks, including making operational network decisions in the event of severe weather events including flooding. On a national basis, management of the English highway network is the responsibility of over 150 highway authorities, who make operational decisions based on the scope and severity of severe weather affecting their area.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a single Public Service Operator licence for each traffic area in England.

Under current arrangements, licensing for Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators in Great Britain is divided into eight traffic areas. No entity can hold more than one PSV licence in any single traffic area (except in the case of Special Restricted licences). This means that in effect an operator could hold a single PSV operator licence in each traffic area in England.

How many coaches were registered by the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain in (a) 2024 to date and (b) each of the last five years.

The Office of the Traffic Commissioner (OTC) collects annual data on the number of active and newly issued public service vehicle (PSV) operator licences and the vehicles authorised to operate under these licences. Coach operators are required to hold a valid PSV licence to operate in the UK. The PSV licence data covers both bus and coach operators and does not distinguish between the two. The number of PSV operator licences and vehicles authorised to operate under these licences from 2024 to date: Reporting Year (to date)Number of valid PSV operator licencesNumber of vehicles authorisedApril 2024 - January 2025546588992 Reporting Year (to date)Number of new PSV operator licences grantedNumber of vehicles authorised as a result of a new applicationApril 2024 - January 20252661386 The figures for the number of PSV operator licences and the vehicles authorised to operate under these licences for the last five years: Reporting year (April to March)Number of valid PSV operator licencesNumber of vehicles authorised2019-206852908652020-216602899802021-226158885822022-235809863712023-245451886642024-January 2025546588992 Reporting Year (April – March)Number of new PSV operator licences grantedNumber of vehicles authorised as a result of a new application2019-2047428102020-2131713232021-2226422922022-2331014632023-2436814512024-January 20252661386

What discussions her Department has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on reforms to the Bus Service Operators Grant.

We are committed to simplifying and consolidating bus funding from the Government, and we are considering next steps for reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant as part of this work. This will include engagement with other government departments.

If she will make an estimate of recent trends in the number of coach companies that have ceased trading.

The Department recognises the importance of good transport links and this Government aims to improve connections between towns and cities across the country. We recognise the important role the coach sector can play in making these connections across the country for education, business and leisure travel. Coaches are a deregulated sector, so commercial decisions, such as whether to cease trading, are a matter for the operators concerned. The Department does not have the data to estimate the number of coach companies that have ceased trading. We are, however, working with the sector to hear their concerns and address the challenges they face.

What discussions she has had with Shadow Great British Railways on future management of the 20 railway stations directly managed by Network Rail.

The Secretary of State has not yet held any conversations with Shadow Great British Railways on the future management of stations. The government has set Shadow Great British Railways several initial priorities, including being passenger focused - improving services for passengers and freight-customers, unlocking barriers to delivery and moving the rail network towards greater financial sustainability. The government will shortly be setting out plans for how Shadow Great British Railways will be delivering on these priorities.

Whether her Department issues guidance to local authorities on running good-quality bus stops.

The Department for Transport has published Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/24 Bus User Priority which provides guidance on good practice in the design of bus stops. The Department has also published guidance to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and bus operators on developing Bus Service Improvement Plans. This guidance encourages all LTAs to set priorities for improving their bus stops, stations and interchanges. On 17th December 2024, the Government introduced a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will provide powers for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance on the inclusivity of the design of bus and coach stations and stops, and to require authorities commissioning work to provide new or upgrade existing facilities to have due regard to this guidance.