Campaign Win For Rural And Small Town Buses

The Campaign for Better Transport has welcomed a major report from the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, which backs many of its key calls for improving bus services in rural areas and small towns.

Buses are often the only travel option for those who cannot or choose not to drive, yet in many rural areas they are infrequent, unreliable or non-existent. Responding to the Committee’s Buses Connecting Communities inquiry, the Campaign submitted written and oral evidence. The Committee’s final report, published in August, reflects several of their recommendations, including:

• Government guidance on minimum service levels to ensure every community has a usable bus service
• Needs-based, long-term funding for buses, announced in five-year blocks to give greater financial certainty
• Identifying and filling gaps in provision with new services
• A national standard for bus stops, ensuring basic amenities such as seating, shelter, and clear timetable information

Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the Committee, said:

"The Department for Transport should change the way funding is provided to ensure councils and bus firms would be committed to running socially necessary services… To achieve this the sector will need greater financial certainty".

The Campaign for Better Transport says the report “contains the ingredients for a rural bus renaissance that could truly change lives” and is urging Government to act on its recommendations so that “the bus revolution reaches the towns and villages that need it most.”

Kerry Booth, Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network: "Buses are a lifeline for rural communities – connecting people to work, healthcare, and social opportunities. The Transport Select Committee’s recommendations echo our Delivering for All campaign, which makes clear that everybody deserves access to good quality services, wherever they live. If Government acts on this report, it will take us a step closer to ensuring that no village, town, or rural resident is left behind".

Read more about the report’s key recommendations here

We’ll be exploring these issues further in our Rural Transport session at the RSN National Rural Conference 2025, taking place next week. The session will look at practical approaches to ensure rural communities are better connected. View the full programme here.