Regulation Of Bus Services And Public Ownership Models

EDM number 162 in 2014-15, proposed by Caroline Lucas on 23/06/2014.
Categorised under the topic of Buses.

That this House believes the 1985 deregulation of bus services outside London has been a disaster for passengers, the taxpayer and bus workers; notes that profit-making private bus operators continue to benefit from public subsidy that makes up 44 per cent of funding in the industry; further notes that bus passengers in England outside London have been hit with a 39.6 per cent real terms fare rise since 1995, with average bus fares more than doubling in cash terms; is dismayed that despite buses accounting for two thirds of all journeys on public transport, including lifeline services for schoolchildren, pensioners and jobseekers, there has been a 17 per cent fall since 2011 in supported bus service mileage in England; condemns the Government spending cuts that are having a devastating effect on vital bus services; and calls on the Government to reverse these cuts and commission an independent review of the bus industry including the options of regulating all commercial bus services and of public ownership and other not-for-profit service models, with the aim of delivering frequent, reliable services and low cost bus fares.

This motion has been signed by a total of 22 MPs.