Bus Regulation (Hansard, 2 July 2002)

§ 2. Mr. Chris Mullin (Sunderland, South)
If he will consult on the re-regulation of buses; and if he will make a statement. [63712]

§ 3. Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough)
What action he is taking to promote better regulation of local public transport. [63713]

§ The Minister for Transport (Mr. John Spellar)
We do not believe that it would be right to return to the regime that was in place before 1986. It would distract the industry from focusing on improving the provision and quality of services to attract more customers. The Transport Act 2000 gave local authorities various powers to influence provision. We will consider specific changes if necessary to overcome particular problems. For example, we will soon be consulting on proposals to remove obstacles to registering flexibly routed local bus services.

§ Mr. Mullin
Is my right hon. Friend aware that bus companies such as Stagecoach and GoAhead Northern, which operate in Sunderland, are becoming increasingly ruthless in their search for profits and increasingly brazen in their demand for public subsidies? They are also abusing their near monopoly position to run small operators off the road. Is he also aware that in the past few weeks in Sunderland they have drastically cut bus services after 6.30 pm and on Sundays, leaving whole communities isolated? Has not the time come to consider re-regulating bus services with a view to having them take into account the public interest as well as their own profits?

§ Mr. Spellar
Once again, I say to my hon. Friend that there is a mixed picture across the country, and that has been clear from my discussions with the Local Government Association and the bus operators. When we look into the route changes posted by the bus operators, we see that quite a number are marginal changes to timetables; some are about a reduction in services, as my hon. Friend rightly said, which is a particular problem in areas of social exclusion, especially those on the fringes of conurbations; and others are to do with enhancement.
70 We are working together on those issues, which is precisely why I have asked local authorities and the bus operators to form a joint committee to work their way through this problem to ensure that we maintain a proper network across the bus system, and that we deal with issues of social exclusion. We should also recognise the substantial increase in the cab trade in many areas, which is providing a flexible transport service and may be more appropriate. In some areas it can be funded from the public sector.
It is a mixed picture, but if my hon. Friend's local authority wants to make representations to the LGA that we can include in these discussions that would be worth while.

§ Helen Jackson
Does my right hon. Friend understand that, in places like Sheffield, we remember the time prior to 1986 when buses were sensibly regulated and fares were sensibly organised so that there was integration of fares and services between buses, local trains and trams, if there was a tram? Does he understand how irritated people get when one operator can put its fares up, as First Group did recently, throwing into confusion all the integrated ticketing arrangements that exist between tram and other operators? In Sheffield, we think that a degree more regulation covering both fares and services would do nothing but good.

§ Mr. Spellar
As my hon. Friend says, there are considerable arguments for through ticketing and for the integration of ticketing arrangements. One aspect of our discussions with the Office of Fair Trading involved doing away with misconceptions that that can be prevented. We are happy to consider individual cases and to put them into the general examination. The key point is that we want to achieve a modal shift on to buses, always remembering that bus travel represents some 4.3 billion journeys compared with only 2.1 billion by rail. The figure for rail includes the London underground, as well as Sheffield trams.
Considerable changes in patterns of demand have occurred in many areas. For example, in the north-east there has been a steady demand in bus usage, but that is matched by the region's beginning to approach the levels of car ownership enjoyed by the rest of the country—thanks to the more progressive economic policies of this Government compared with those of the Conservative lot opposite. We have to deal with a complicated picture, but I am more than pleased to look at the details that my hon. Friend described.

§ Mr. Steve Webb (Northavon)
My constituents, too, see the bus companies as latter-day highway robbers. Fares are high, services are unreliable and the notion of a quality bus partnership would give rise to a hollow laugh among many of those who use the services. Is it not the case that a lightly and inadequately regulated private monopoly—that is essentially what the bus companies are—will never deliver quality, reliable public services?

§ Mr. Spellar
Many areas are experiencing considerable increases in bus usage. For example, West Yorkshire showed a 4 per cent. increase last year and, with a different regime. London showed an increase of some 5 per cent. As regards London, it is interesting that having supported the Mayor, Liberal Democrat Members are now trying to dig him into a hole. That just shows what unreliable allies the Liberals can be. If they are so keen on public transport, I am surprised that they have not managed to sort out a sensible arrangement on the light rail between Bristol and south Gloucestershire.

§ Mr. Malcolm Moss (North-East Cambridgeshire)
The Minister seems more than happy to become involved in regulating public transport everywhere—that is, everywhere except London. Does he agree with his erstwhile colleague, now the Mayor of London, who said not so long ago, I hate cars. If I ever get any powers again, I'd ban the lot."? Does the Minister have any sympathy with the thousands of motorists, bus drivers and taxi drivers in London, who each day face ever-increasing delay and congestion because the Mayor has tinkered with the phasing of traffic lights and the alignment of bus lanes and road junctions to soften up the public for congestion charging? Does the Minister condone what the Mayor is doing and, if not, what is he going to do about the situation?

§ Mr. Spellar
One of the matters for which, fortunately, I am not responsible is the Mayor of London. I detect, as I did last week, the considerable enthusiasm for the Mayor that is felt by Opposition Members. However, I have a far longer track record in opposing him, in his previous incarnation as Ken Livingstone, than they do.

§ Andy Burnham (Leigh)
It is typical—you wait for ages for a question on bus services and a load come along at once.
The Minister will be aware that Leigh is the largest town in the country without a railway station, but he may not know that we, too, have lost crucial bus services in recent weeks—one to Leigh infirmary and one to the Westleigh estate. I urge him to press in the spending review for funding to support bus services in areas where there is no other transport provision. In the longer term, does he agree that the solution is to tackle that other great Tory transport folly—bus deregulation?

§ Mr. Spellar
We have doubled the moneys going to local authorities through local transport plans. My hon. Friend referred to health facilities, and the social exclusion unit, in its report, expresses concern about access to employment facilities, education facilities and, particularly—following their consolidation—medical facilities. We are keeping a careful eye on these issues right across the country, along with the social exclusion unit, to see how we can get the right balance of public and private transport in various modes to ensure that we have mobility for all.