Locals to ‘take back control’ of buses with bill to be debated by peers this week

Labour’s long-promised buses bill will scrap Thatcher-era rules banning local councils from running their own bus services

Locals will ‘take back control’ of their buses with a bill to be debated by peers this week,

Labour’s long-promised buses bill will scrap Thatcher-era rules banning local councils from running their own bus services.

And it will require drivers to be trained to deal with anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls, as well as disability assistance training.

The bill arrives at the House of Lords to be chewed over in committee before returning to the Commons to become law.

Urging peers to back the bill, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “We are empowering local leaders to make decisions about bus services in their communities, helping to deliver on our Plan for Change promise to improve living standards across the country.

“This new law will mean people can visit their friends and family, travel for work and reach the public services they need.”

Greater Manchester and other areas have already seen increased passenger numbers and reliability from bringing bus networks under public control.

This power will be made available to more areas under the new law – with different options available for different areas.

The government allocated £955 million for local authorities to improve bus services last November.

And they spent £150 million to extend the cap on single bus fares to keep travel affordable – but increased the cap from £2 to £3.

Ms Alexander added: “We are unlocking opportunity for communities up and down the country that have been cut off from reliable local transport for far too long.

“Alongside the Bill, we’re investing over £1 billion to make services more reliable, frequent and affordable — giving passengers from Carlisle to Colchester the services they deserve”