Press Release: Chris Hinchliff MP Tables Amendment to Bus Services Bill

09 September 2025

North East Hertfordshire MP leads charge against public transport deserts, calling for a bus service for every village.

Mr Hinchliff has tabled an amendment to the Bus Services Bill to guarantee minimum bus service levels for communities of 300 residents or more.

In a letter to the Transport Secretary Mr Hinchliff slams the ‘privatisation disaster’ overseen by the previous Conservative Government.

Chris Hinchliff MP has tabled an amendment to the Bus Services Bill, due for its Report Stage on Wednesday 10 September, calling for a review into the tools and funding required to ensure every community of 300 residents or more has a guaranteed minimum bus service.

The MP for North East Hertfordshire has also written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP welcoming the Labour Government’s transformational plans for public transport and calling for rural communities to be granted guaranteed bus services.

In the letter, Mr Hinchliff recognises that the Government is leading the most significant improvement to public transport in a generation, whilst calling for specific action to support rural communities which “bore the brunt of the Conservatives privatisation disaster.” He points out that some areas in England and Wales saw “bus services cut by more than 80% over the last 15 years.”

Chris Hinchliff MP said: “The Government’s approach to public transport is a breath of fresh air to communities failed by the Conservative’s dogmatic refusal to put public need before the profits of private operators – for buses and trains alike. 

“I want to make sure rural communities are at the heart of Labour’s ambitious plans—we’ve got to prove to the areas privatisation left behind, that well-resourced local authorities, with the proper tools, can provide the services people are crying out for.

“Reliable bus services should never be considered a luxury, a “nice to have”—they should be enshrined into law as a right. We see regular, reliable buses, seven days a week, even in mountainous and remote regions of Switzerland, Austria and Germany. There is no reason we can’t do the same here.

“The last Government left rural communities saddled with transport poverty—where people without personal cars are left completely isolated, unable to access employment, education, or indeed, the basics to live happy, healthy, connected lives.

“The Conservatives cut local authority budgets to the bone, leaving even the most well-intentioned councils struggling to provide a bus network local people could rely on. That’s why I am calling for a review of the powers and funding needed to guarantee that every community of at least 300 residents has access to a minimum level of bus service.”

Mr Hinchliff recently conducted surveyed 280 North East Hertfordshire constituents on local bus services. 83% of respondents felt current provisions do not offer a proper alternative to car ownership, with a majority admitting they’re dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with local bus services. A whopping 98% of respondents said they would like to see a guaranteed a regular and convenient bus service.

ENDS

Editors’ Notes

1. The wording of the amendment is as follows: To move the following Clause— “Minimum bus service standards: review (1) Within six months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must conduct a review into the minimum bus service standards required for communities in England. (2) The review conducted under this section must— (a) take into consideration the different requirements of communities of differing population sizes across England, including rural and urban communities, (b) explore the regulatory powers and funding arrangements that would be required for Local Transport Authorities to implement guaranteed minimum bus services for every community with more than three hundred residents across England.

2. More information about the Bus Services (No 2) Bill can be found here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3910

3. The letter to the Transport Secretary can be found here: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a02159_92f7c752b11b4cf39548da991a3eed0b~mv2.png

Contact

All press queries should be addressed to:

Press Office Office of Chris Hinchliff MP chris.hinchliff.mp@parliament.uk