HomeNewsBus Services Bill – Report Stage and Third Reading

Bus Services Bill – Report Stage and Third Reading

  • 10/09/2025
  • Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
  • Category: News

The House of Commons met to consider amendments to the Bill on 10 September 2025.

Buses are the country’s most popular form of public transport. Local buses accounted for 58% of ticketed public transport journeys in Great Britain in the year ending March 2023, and are an essential part of the national transport system. However, passenger numbers and bus service levels have been in decline. The Bill gives transport authorities the power to determine the bus operating model that works for their local area and provide powers to effectively underpin those models. This should help improve bus services and grow usage, ensuring that services are safer, more reliable and more accessible.

Four amendments were selected for debate and votes:

New Clause 2, which would require the Secretary of State to remove time restrictions on the use of disabled concessionary travel passes: Ayes 69, Noes 300.

Amendment 58, an opposition amendment regarding franchising schemes: Ayes 92, Noes 364.
Amendment 23, which would require the Secretary of State to assess of the impact of ending the £2 bus fare cap on passengers’ ability to access socially necessary local services: Ayes 158, Noes 297. 
Amendment 10, which would allow local transport authorities to prohibit disruptive anti-social forms of noise such as from telephones through byelaws: Ayes 153, Noes 300.

The motion was put that the Bill be read a third time and passed: Ayes 362, Noes 87. The amendments to the Bill will now be considered by the House of Lords.