§ Mr. Sainsburyasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any proposals to increase the public accountability of bus operators.
§ Mr. FowlerVery large sums of public money are now being spent on the support of bus undertakings by central and local government. Bus users, ratepayers and other interested parties want to be satisfied that their local bus services are being provided efficiently and effectively. Responsible bus operators are just as concerned to demonstrate that they are making the best use of their resources.
I am today publishing two documents which will help in this. One specifies the information about performance that bus operators will in future publish each year. This will enable the public to judge the efficiency of their local bus undertaking. The second suggests a simplified but comprehensive framework for the information local authorities need when they are taking decisions on support for bus services.
I very much welcome the collaboration of CIPFA and the industry in preparing these guides. I believe that they will help real progress to be made in getting value for money for bus services.