Emma Lewell-Buck MP advocates for community input in bus service reforms

Emma Lewell-Buck, the Member of Parliament for South Shields, has called for local communities to be given a say in deciding what bus routes and services will run in their area.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday morning (October 10), Ms Lewell-Buck asked the Transport Secretary if local people and leaders would have a voice as part of the Better Buses Bill.

The South Shields MP said: “My right hon. Friend knows that when the previous government axed over 1,000 bus routes, local communities were completed ignored.

“As she rebuilds our bus network, can she assure me that the Better Buses Bill will make provisions to include local voices, not just the voices of those in elected positions?”

Louise Haigh, the Secretary of State for Transport, confirmed in Parliament that local people and leaders will be at the forefront of Labour’s bus service reforms.

She stated: “I’m very grateful for the hon. Lady and she’s put her finger on exactly the problem with the system that we face across the country at the moment.

“For too long we’ve allowed private operators to pick and choose whatever routes and services they want with no say for local people or local leaders whatsoever.

“That is at the heart of our bus service reforms and it will give local people the proper say in the routes and services that they absolutely depend upon.”

Free email newsletters from the Gazette deliver South Tyneside’s latest news and sport - sign up online here

Labour’s Better Buses Bill will see local authorities across the country being given the power to determine bus routes, infrastructure, fares and service frequencies.

The Bill is designed to ensure that buses are running in line with the needs of local communities - with work already underway in the North East to take bus services out of the hands of private operators.