MPs to inquire into bus services after the spending review

BUS SERVICES AFTER THE SPENDING REVIEW

Terms of reference and call for evidence

The Transport Committee is to undertake an inquiry into the funding of bus services in England (outside of London) in the light of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The Committee is particularly interested to receive evidence on:

• the impact of the reduction in Bus Service Operators’ Grant, including on community transport;
• the impact of the reduction in local authority grant support to bus services and other changes to the funding of local authority bus schemes and services by the Department for Transport;
• the implementation and financial implications of free off-peak travel for elderly and disabled people on all local buses anywhere in England under the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007; and
• how passengers’ views are taken into account in planning bus services, and the role of Passenger Focus in this area.

The Committee would welcome written evidence from bus users as well as from operators, local authorities and other interested parties. Oral evidence will be heard in the new year.

Short written submissions are invited until Easter.

Notes on the submission of written evidence
 
It assists the Committee if those submitting written evidence adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Written submissions should be as short as is consistent with conveying the relevant information. As a rough guide, it is usually helpful if they can be confined to six pages or less. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference. A single-page summary of the main points is sometimes helpful. The submission should be in a form suitable for monochrome photocopying.

2. Evidence should be submitted in Word or Rich Text format, by e-mail to transev@parliament.uk. The body of the e-mail should include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. It should be absolutely clear who the submission is from, particularly whether it is on behalf of an organisation or in the name of an individual.

3. Once accepted by the Committee, written evidence becomes the Committee’s property and it may decide to publish it or make other public use of it. If the Committee decides to accept your contribution as evidence we will email you formally accepting it as such. An acknowledgement of formal acceptance will be sent once all formalities have been completed. You may publicise or publish your submission yourself, once you receive the formal acceptance of your evidence to the Committee. When doing so, please indicate that it has been submitted to the Committee.

4. Though the Committee is happy to receive copies of published material, formal submissions of evidence should be original work and not published elsewhere.

5. Committee staff are happy to give more detailed guidance on giving evidence to a select committee, or further advice on any aspect of the Committee’s work, by phone or e-mail.