Public transport in the UK is languishing behind the rest of Europe. Outside of London, public transport is often expensive, inefficient, outdated and too often unsafe. Research from the University of Leeds has highlighted that on average, across England and Wales, urban bus services have dropped by 48% and rural buses by 52% since 2008. ^[1] With the exception of London, bus services in Britain have been deregulated and privatised since the 1980s, resulting in discrepancies between various services across the country, leading to a ‘postcode lottery of buses’.^[2]  Since then, there has been somewhat of a revival in the thinking around public transport and in particular, buses. Mayoral combined authorities have brough back buses under local authority control since 2017 using franchising agreements. The first of these famously being Greater Manchester with the Bee Network, and now West Yorkshire, under Tracy Brabin, aims to do the same with the now announced, Weaver Network.

Mike Childs, head of Science, Policy and Research at Friends of the Earth has called for ‘a bus renaissance’ as these services are essential particularly ‘those living on low incomes, people of colour and disabled people.’ This declining use of bus provision can be attributed to a variety of factors, however it must be stressed that safety is perhaps one of them, figures compile by the Office for National Statistics show that nearly half of women feel ‘very or fairly unsafe’ using public transport on their own after dark’ .^[3] When service and therefore ridership falls, so does our attitudes towards these services, where they are often left to languish in managed decline.

The Bus Services Bill is a piece of legislation that is perhaps helping to reverse this decline, supporting the government’s commitment to deliver better buses. The bill initially started in the House of Lords, where it was introduced on 17 December 2024. It then had its Lords second reading on 8 January 2025; committee stage on 28 January, 11 February, and 13 February; report stage on 26 March and 2 April; and third reading on 29 April 2025. It has now since moved into the house of commons, its first reading was on the 20^{th of} April 2025, the second reading was on the 2^{nd of} June 2025, with the Committee Stage planned to begin for the 24^{th of} June 2025.

According to the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, the Bill ‘marks the next step on our journey to overhaul how bus services operate’ as ‘it is high time we recognise that local leaders need to be able to make decisions about their buses.’

The bill’s provision can be broadly split into the following areas:

• Devolving grant making powers to LTAs (Local Transport Authority)

• Implementing a socially necessary local service – aims to promote the wider thinking around local network management, including how bus services are maintained.

• Reducing the use of new non-zero emission buses

• Creating an accessible and inclusive bus network

• Implementing measures aimed at protection from crime and anti-social behaviour.

Most of the bill’s provisions apply to England and Wales, however there are some exceptions. None of the provisions apply in Northern Ireland. See below for a full list of clauses and where they apply:

• Clause 11 (Direct award of contracts to incumbent operators) – this will extend to England, Scotland, and Wales, but only apply in England.
• Clause 20 (Powers of inspectors) – this will extend to England, Wales, and Scotland
• Clause 23 (Safeguarding duty: drivers of school services) – this will extend to and apply in England and Wales.
• Clause 24 (Training about crime and anti-social behaviour) – this will extend to and apply in England and Wales.
• Clauses 24 and 25 (Training about disability) – this will extend to and apply in England, Scotland, and Wales^[4]

How does the Bus Services Bill aim to affect ASB?

The bill aims to bring greater powers for LTAs in general, however this is also aimed at tackling ASB and helping to improve general safety on buses. This Bill was aimed to provide for a safer and improved bus network by providing LTAs and TfL with similar powers to those that already currently exist for light and heavy rail. It should also be noted that the bill aims to amend section 24 of the Public Passengers Vehicles Act 1981 to give LTAs additional powers to enforce fare requirements. These provisions are located mainly within Clause 24 which extends to and applies to England and Wales.

There will also be statutory guidance developed around inclusivity of facilities and planned enhanced safeguarding for school services. Along with this, the Bill provides for mandatory training of bus drivers and others to identify and respond to crime, ASB along with disability awareness and assistance. It waits to be seen what the content of this training referenced will be, however it is known that this will develop with input from the bus industry.

Public Transport and ASB

ASB knows no limits, and public transport, just as much as our streets and public spaces in general are at risk from ASB. Anti-social behaviour has been a noted problem among our public transport links, whether this be bus, train, or any other form of mass transit. In Scotland, for example, the matter of ASB on buses has reach the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. The issue of ASB on public transport is a heavy one, according to a government survey, of those using public transport, 34% says they have witnessed assault or harassment. The analysis continues stating:

• “I let other people know my plans” is a safety precaution that has been taken at least once by 63% of females when walking and cycling, and 62% of females when using public transport. Only 37% of males have ever taken any precaution at all.
• males feel safer when travelling but are more concerned about the risk of physical assault, harassment, and aggression (12% of males, compared to 8% of females), and other passengers being drunk and disorderly (72% of males). Females feel safer with good lighting at stops and on streets (79% of females)
• among females who have felt unsafe, 60% rate poor lighting as a factor that makes them feel less safe when walking to a bus or rail stop, and 46% report this as a factor when waiting for a vehicle^[5]

These issues are replicated across the research. Transport Focus produced a research report that highlighted the issue of safety on public transport, including the type of behaviour that causes the most concern this includes, Rowdy Behaviour at almost half of all respondents (49%), and smoking/vaping being at 41%. Notably, who feels unsafe is often not the same, and much like ASB in other areas, it affects the vulnerable and young most. For example, 16–18-year-olds were found to be three times as likely to rate their personal security on the bus as poor (9%) compared to those over the age of 18 (3%). Those with difficulty learning, understanding or concentrating, were around three times as likely to say that other passengers’ behaviour caused them concern at the bus stop (21 per cent compared with six percent) and on the bus (18 per cent compared with seven per cent) than those without any disability/impairment. Passengers from ethnic groups were also more likely to rate their personal security on board the bus as ‘fairly poor’ or ‘poor’ than those who identify as white.^[6]

This issue is most important as it reverberates a problem with our local shops, parks, and other spaces, that of decline due to fear. This government survey also found that a considerable proportion of respondents ‘actively avoided’ some forms of public transport, this includes buses, in fact, these were the most avoided, with 34% of respondents claiming they actively avoided using it. We know that ASB can help and often stimulate, economic decline and a loss in civic pride, and it can be said that this could be said also about our public transport.^[7]

Conclusion

Our public transport systems do not exist in a vacuum, they are too often blighted by ASB, and therefore continue to experience low ridership, continuing a state of managed decline. However, the rise in local devolution in powers around public transport, and a recognition of the important of staff training and enforcement on ASB on public transport, look like a promising spate of developments. Detail surrounding that of staff training is anticipated with bus industry input, and we hope to see rigorous and effective training that can help stem the rise in ASB on public transport. The Bus Services Bill is now at Committee Stage; as a result it will be scrutinised in a public bill committee.

For any more information surrounding this issue, or for any other policy related queries, please contact:

Harrison Box, Policy Officer

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

^[1] New research shows bus services outside London have plummeted. (n.d.). Faculty of Environment | University of Leeds. https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/news/article/5727/new-research-shows-bus-services-outside-london-have-plummeted

^[2] Empowering Local Authorities: An overview of the Bus Services Bill. (2025, February 12). https://www.burges-salmon.com/our-thinking/empowering-local-authorities-an-overview-of-the-bus-services-bill/

^[3] Walter, M. (n.d.). Meet the Academic striving to make transport safer for women and girls. Connected Places Catapult. https://cp.catapult.org.uk/article/meet-the-academic-striving-to-make-transport-safer-for-women-and-girls/

^[4] Bus Services (No 2) Bill - Backhouse Jones. (n.d.). Backhouse Jones. https://backhousejones.co.uk/bus-services-no-2-bill/

^[5] Department for Transport. (2023, August 17). National Travel Attitudes Study Wave 8. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-8/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-8

^[6] Personal security and anti-social behaviour on bus: A passenger perspective. (2024, November). Transport Focus. https://d3cez36w5wymxj.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/28104601/Personal-security-and-anti-social-behaviour-on-bus_V3.pdf

^[7] Home Office. (2023, March 27). Anti-social behaviour: impacts on individuals and local communities. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impacts-of-anti-social-behaviour-on-individuals-and-communities/anti-social-behaviour-impacts-on-individuals-and-local-communities#:~:text=Despite%20often%20being%20described%20as,behaviours%20and%20decreased%20economic%20productivity.