For decades, bus services have not been up to scratch, with services falling, routes slashed and fares rising.
Long waits at bus stops, rural areas cut off, and patchy Sunday services all serve as a drain on aspiration and make our lives harder.
Part of the solution is investment – and we’ve committed more than £1 billion this financial year alone to support services across England. This includes recent record sums for places such as Leicester, Torbay and Cambridgeshire.
Passengers should see faster, more reliable journeys, connecting them to jobs, education, and those special moments with family and friends.
Our roads are also getting an upgrade. This is vital for smoother and quicker bus journeys, while improving things such as footways allows more people to get to bus stops more easily. That’s why we’ve committed £24 billion over the next four years to improve our motorways and local roads – the economic and social arteries we all depend on.
But I’ve been clear: investment without reform is throwing good money after bad.
For 40 years, power over bus services sat largely with private operators, who focused on the most profitable routes rather than the specific needs of local communities. In October, we changed this. In what is the biggest reform to our buses in a generation, the Bus Services Act 2025 puts control back in the hands of local leaders – where it belongs.
It means passengers will be back at the heart of the bus network. It means protections for socially necessary routes, and more accessible and safer services provided as standard. It also means flexibility for local authorities to choose the operating model that serves them best – be it franchising, enhanced partnerships or local authority bus companies.
I believe this is devolution at its best: greater control now in the hands of those who really understand local needs. We’ve seen it work wonders in Greater Manchester, London and Nottingham. Let’s now roll out better buses right across the country.