On the 8th January, the second reading of the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill was held in the House of Lords. Aspects of the debate that may be of interest include:

The Minister for Rail, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, said: “it is important to increase the safety and accessibility of stopping places, so there is a measure giving the Secretary of State the ability to set out expectations for bus stops and bus stations in statutory guidance”.

Baroness Pidgeon (LD) said: “Too often, elderly people are forced to rely on family members for transport when what they really need is a dependable, accessible bus network that allows them to travel independently. Without this, many struggle to reach vital amenities such as shops, health services and hospitals”. She added that “most financially vulnerable people rely on bus services to access key amenities in their community. The increase in the bus fare cap from £2 to £3 creates real issues for passengers, particularly those on low incomes”.

Lord Holmes of Richmond (Con) raised concerns around ‘floating bus stops,’ which he described as “pieces of foundation separated completely from the pavement by a cycle lane, rendering that potentially accessible bus completely inaccessible to board or alight”. He asked the government to commit to a piece of work to set out the retrofitting of all those so-called floating bus stops to bring them back to inclusive by design.

Concerns were raised about clause 22, which refers to the safety and accessibility of stopping places, notably by Lord Holmes and Baroness Brinton (LD).

Lord Hendy (Lab) acknowledged the contention that Clause 22 does not go far enough, but he “promise[s]—and I am sure we will discuss it in Committee—to look at the degree and extent to which this clause can answer his points. He must be able to see that the intention of Clause 22 is to improve bus stopping areas and for the Secretary of State to give some guidance, which ought to be mandatorily taken into regard by local transport and highway authorities”.