Long-term funding, a plan for local authorities to increase bus speeds and a creation of a new class of Clean Air Zone favouring coaches are featured among the Confederation of Passenger Transport’s (CPT) pleas to the Chancellor in its 2024 Budget Submission.
Ahead of the Spring Budget on 6 March, the Budget Submission echoes CPT’s priorities for the next government as outlined in its manifestos for coach and bus launched last week.
CPT repeats urges for the government to announce a five-year funding settlement for bus in line with the rail sector.
The document says: “Whilst the numerous funding settlements over the last few years have all been welcome, a lack of clarity over the existence and size of future funding streams undermines confidence and prevents operators and councils from investing in longer term service development.”
The environment features heavily in the organisation’s hopes for the coach sector. It wants the government to create a new class of Clean Air Zone which “enables councils to charge vehicles with a heavier pollution footprint while exempting coaches”. It also requests a national fund to support operators with upgrading their engines, estimated at a cost of £75 million for 5,000 coaches.
A government net-zero strategy for coaches is also high on CPT’s agenda. It says this should include key dates and measures, attention to infrastructure and an interim fuel duty incentive for low-carbon fuels.
It also says a five-year £1 billion investment programme is needed to leverage private-sector investment in new electric buses.
CPT wants the government to set and monitor a target for all local transport authorities to increase bus speeds by 10% over the duration of the next Parliament. It says providing adequate funding for this will help tackle congestion which is costing operators and harming passenger experience.
It urges the government to engage with the sector on an exit strategy for the ending of the £2 fare cap, scheduled for December 2024. It refers to a forthcoming KPMG report into the Bus Fare Cap Grant scheme which, it says, will show “it is likely that there will be better value-for-money ways of helping passengers”.
CPT also asks Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to ensure that local transport authorities are adequately resourced to reimburse against the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme calculator, which was revised on 5 January.
Further, following the government’s diversion of £930 million in funds in October 2023 away from the HS2 rail scheme to bus in the North of England and Midlands, CPT calls for the equivalent – calculated at £750 million – to go to councils in the South of England.
