§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of recent trends in the costs of contracts for tendered bus services. [71050]
§ Mr. JamiesonMy Department commissioned last year a three-year research project into trends in tendered bus services including tender prices. Recent interim findings indicate rises in real terms in prices of around 20 per cent., as compared with the last time (typically two or three years ago) when the contracts surveyed were offered. This is in line with the findings of the annual survey conducted by the Association of Transport Co-ordination Officers. There are however significant variations within this overall figure. Our research will be published in due course.