The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has today submitted proposals to the Government’s Spending Review, emphasising that better buses are key to achieving economic growth and improving quality of life for communities across Britain.

At the CPT’s conference last month, the Minister for Local Transport Simon Lightwood identified buses as a vital tool to advance the Government’s mission of kickstarting growth and pledged to reverse a long-term decline in bus usage.

Ministers are introducing legislation to change the way buses are run in England, including allowing local authorities to franchise services. But to boost passenger numbers nationwide, these reforms need to be backed by money to invest in additional routes, frequencies and vehicles, as well as measures to speed up buses.   

Buses carry 11 million passengers a day, enabling people to access jobs, education and local services. Good transport connections help improve people’s health and combat loneliness. They also contribute to footfall on high streets, supporting local businesses.

The bus network in England outside London costs £3.5 billion to run.  While the majority of this is funded commercially, including through fares, the social importance of buses means the Government steps in to pay for part of the cost of keeping communities connected with good services. This investment is delivered through a combination of funding to bus operators and to local authorities.

To keep services as they are requires a continuation of the current level investment from Government, which totals around £750 million annually. To make the Government’s ambitions a reality, the CPT is calling for a bold funding package that will go beyond maintaining the status quo, transform the nation’s bus network and deliver immediate, tangible benefits.

With an additional £205 million annually - just over £500,000 per day - local communities could benefit from buses travelling 36 million miles more each year. That’s enough to travel more than 1,400 times round the world.

More importantly, it’s enough to improve the connections available to millions of people travelling to earn, learn or spend across England. It would produce an estimated £500 million of economic benefits to passengers as well as reducing congestion, boosting local high streets and giving employers a wider pool of people to recruit from.

A further investment of £200 million a year in bus priority measures, such as dedicated lanes and traffic signal improvements, would speed up buses – making them cheaper to run and more attractive to use. As well as generating £1 billion a year in economic benefits and encouraging millions of additional passenger journeys, this would reduce the longer-term need for support from public funding.

Another £200 million a year investment in zero-emission buses could release £500 million of private-sector investment annually, paving the way for cleaner, quieter, and more environmentally friendly vehicles.

Alison Edwards, Director of Policy and External Relations at CPT, said: “Buses are a vital driver of growth, connecting communities to opportunity and delivering major economic and environmental benefits. With targeted investment, we can unlock a stronger, greener, and more inclusive future. A bold commitment from the Government will create better buses for everyone, with lasting benefits for passengers, businesses, and the wider economy.”