Government response to PSVAR review call for evidence delayed

A government response to the call for evidence (CfE) issued in 2023 on the review of PSVAR, and publication of the next steps in that reform, have been delayed and are now expected in the spring, the Department for Transport (DfT) has told routeone.

The deadline for CfE submissions closed on 4 September 2023, with the government response and next steps promised by the end of last year. At the time of the call’s launch, DfT noted that it would influence potential evolution of PSVAR via the review work.

Part of the CfE document is a section that couples decarbonisation with PSVAR. Soon after delay to the government’s response was confirmed, one trade body questioned whether a need to consider the outcome of a later and separate CfE on infrastructure provision for zero-emission coach and HGV fleets could be a factor in the deferral.

While DfT made clear early on that the PSVAR review CfE does not constitute a formal consultation and that it is instead “an opportunity to gather evidence and identify when respondents think that change might be needed,” the work generated detailed responses from the three trade bodies that represent the coach industry.

In addition, it is thought that several ‘deep dive’ submissions were made by other parties with differing interests, and that consideration of all views on the reform work has led to an increased time burden on DfT officials before the next steps in the review can be decided upon.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport, RHA, and the UK Coach Operators Association have each described the delay as disappointing. However, those bodies broadly agree that necessary post-CfE work by DfT must be done thoroughly ahead of the next stage being reached.

That aside, one of those organisations has highlighted that the medium-term exemption (MTE) from PSVAR mechanism ends on 31 July 2026, bringing a need for certainty among coach operators on the compliance landscape from then onwards.

It goes on to note that as more time is taken by the review process, less is available to those businesses to make any necessary changes before the MTE period expires.

A fuller assessment of, and reaction to, the delay to the government’s CfE response will follow in the January print issue of routeone, published on 16 January.