A Conservative government will extend the £2 bus fare cap grant in England for the entirety of the next parliament using funding from “savings from reform of the railway,” the party’s manifesto has pledged.
Such a promise sits one paragraph above an underlining of the Conservatives’ established Plan for Drivers aims. The latter would see “better use of bus lanes.” That was referred to in the Plan when published as a move to permit them only when they are “needed.”
The manifesto also commits to not advancing road user charging, but little else in the document has not already been aired by the previous Conservative government.
A lukewarm response was thus forthcoming from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and RHA. CPT has welcomed the commitment to the £2 bus fare cap, but both trade bodies note that various other opportunities to benefit the coach and bus sector have been missed.
RHA acknowledges that some of the policies in the manifesto will be useful to transport businesses, and it notes that SMEs will benefit from a promised reform of digital invoicing to tackle late payers and a further commitment to extending full expensing to leased assets.
However, a lack of word on how the heavy vehicle sector as a whole will be decarbonised is criticised by the Association, as is no commitment to reform the Apprenticeship Levy. RHA has long made such an overhaul one of its key asks. It was previously promised by Labour, although that party’s manifesto has not yet been published.
CPT CEO Graham Vidler has welcomed the Conservative manifesto commitment to continue supporting bus services across the North of England and the Midlands with funding reallocated from HS2.
However, Mr Vidler says that not extending that to buses elsewhere in England is “a missed opportunity.” He adds that such a failure could leave bus services in the South of England at risk without matched investment and that “this should not be a postcode lottery.”
Such concerns were aired by ALBUM Chair and former CPT President Bill Hiron earlier in 2024.
Manifesto here.
