§ 18. Ms DrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to encourage joint ticketing and timetabling of bus companies. [81340]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Government are committed to encouraging joint ticketing schemes between operators that will benefit bus users. The Director General of Fair Trading issued a new guideline in August, setting out what operators need to do to ensure that their ticketing schemes comply with the terms of the block exemption from the Competition Act 1998. The Office of Fair Trading is looking at the competition implications for co-ordinated timetabling of competing services. Officials from my Department are continuing to monitor the situation.