Legislation – Bus Services Act 2025

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Introduction

1 Availability of franchising schemes

2 Specification of areas

3 Specification of services

4 Minimum period before provision of services

5 References to local services

6 Criteria for granting service permits

7 Registration of services provided under service permits

8 Substitute road services

9 Report on assessment of proposed scheme

10 Duty to consult persons with disabilities

11 Variation of schemes

12 Miscellaneous amendments

13 Direct award of contracts to incumbent operators

14 Socially necessary local services

15 Measures specified in schemes

16 Passenger benefit requirement

17 Variation of schemes

18 Requirements enabling travel by persons with disabilities

19 Objections by operators

20 Advance notice of requirement to provide information

21 Bus network accessibility plans

22 Local government bus companies

23 Grants

24 Information provided on registration of local services

25 Information about local services

26 Information obtained under

27 Powers of inspectors

28 Local transport authority byelaws

29 Transport for London byelaws

30 Safety and accessibility of stopping places

31 Provision and design of floating bus stops

32 Duty to provide information to Secretary of State

33 Safeguarding duty: drivers of school services

34 Training about crime and anti-social behaviour

35 Training about disability

36 Training about disability: further provisions

37 Use of zero-emission vehicles for local services in England

38 Use of zero-emission vehicles for local services in Scotland

39 Power to make consequential provision

40 Extent

41 Commencement and transitional provision

42 Short title

SCHEDULES

Schedule Procedure for varying franchising scheme

Local government functions

21Bus network accessibility plans

In the Transport Act 2000, after section 113B insert—

“Bus network accessibility plans: England

113BABus network accessibility plans

(1)

A local transport authority whose area is in England must, before the end of the period of one year beginning with the day on which this section comes into force, publish a bus network accessibility plan in relation to the authority’s area.

(2)

A bus network accessibility plan must—

(a)

identify what (if any) provision is made to assist persons with disabilities to travel on local services that have one or more stopping places in the authority’s area;

(b)

set out the extent to which, in the authority’s opinion, the provision made in the authority’s area enables persons with disabilities to travel on such local services independently, and in safety and reasonable comfort;

(c)

describe what (if any) further action the authority intends to take to enable persons with disabilities to travel on such local services independently, and in safety and reasonable comfort.

(3)

The authority must review the plan—

(a)

if there is a substantial change to the provision of local services in the authority’s area, and

(b)

in any event, at least once every three years.

(4)

The authority must alter the plan—

(a)

following any review carried out as required by subsection (3)(a), or

(b)

if the authority considers it appropriate to do so for any other reason.

(5)

The authority may replace the plan as they think fit.

(6)

In preparing and reviewing a bus network accessibility plan, a local transport authority must consult—

(a)

persons operating local services in the authority’s area,

(b)

such persons with disabilities who are users or prospective users of local services, or such organisations appearing to the authority to represent such persons, as they think fit, and

(c)

any other persons whom the authority considers it appropriate to consult.

(7)

In this section “persons with disabilities” means persons who have a disability within the meaning given by section 6 of the Equality Act 2010.”