Annex K
TOTAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT SPEND ON BUS SERVICES
(in £ million)
|
| Area of Expenditure |
2000-01
£m | 2001-02
£m
|
|
| 1. | LEA support for education related transport
| 601 | 633
|
| 2. | Support for socially necessary local bus services, including Rural Bus Subsidy Grant, Rural and Urban Bus Challenge
| 256 | 263
|
| 3. | Support for London Bus Network
| 84 | 186
|
| 4. | Concessionary Fares on local bus services (nb ODPM figures which include some minibus subsidies, DfT figure is £435 million)
| 415 | 487
|
| 5. | Bus Service Operators Grant
| 301 | 304
|
| TOTAL EXPENDITURE ATTRIBUTABLE TO LOCAL AREAS
| 1,657 | 1,873
|
| Estimates |
| |
| 6. | Social Services Transport
| 206 | 212
|
| 7. | Non-emergency Health Transport
| 155 | 159
|
| ESTIMATED TOTAL | 2,018
| 2,244 |
|
1. LEA SPEND
Most LEA Spend (£575 million in 2001-02) on home to
school transport. Most of the rest is on transport to post-16
or "alternative" provision, but small amounts are spent
on nursery and adult education. 2001-02 figures are adjusted from
£646 million originally submitted to DfES as a result of
subsequent DfES/Confed survey. 40-50% of this expenditure is on
pupils with special educational needs, many of whom are transported
in taxis and minibuses, rather than standard buses. We cannot
split out the percentage of expenditure on bus contracts which
could be run as local services if an operator was willing to take
them on.
2. SOCIALLY NECESSARY
SERVICES
Local authorities outside London have a duty to secure socially
necessary services that are not provided commercially. Services
are tendered and let to commercial operators in return for a subsidy.
Funding comes from hypothecated Revenue Support Grant.
Rural bus subsidy grant supports bus services in rural areas
and is allocated to local authorities on the basis of their rural
population. Rural bus challenge supports innovative services in
rural areas. Urban bus challenge focuses on providing new services
in urban deprived areas. Spend for 2001-02 was split:
|
| £ million
|
|
| Rural Bus Subsidy Grant | 40
|
| Rural Bus Challenge | 15
|
| Urban Bus Challenge (this was the first year of the scheme so very few projects were in place during 2001-02).
| 1 |
|
| 56 |
|
Funding has since increased to around £50 million for
RBSG, £20 million for rural bus challenge and £20 million
for urban bus challenge. Budget 2003 announced that RBSG would
continue until 2005-06. However, there has been no decision on
the challenge schemes beyond the 2003 round (results of both rural
and urban competitions due to be announced during January 2004),
nor the longer term future for RBSG, pending the outcome of the
bus subsidy review.
3. SUPPORT FOR
LONDON BUS
NETWORK
In London, Transport for London, guided by the Mayor, sets
routes, service standards and fares for the London bus network.
Almost all routes are competitively tendered to commercial operators.
The subsidy is budgeted to rise steeply—to £500 million
in 2004-05. London also gets a share of Bus Services Operators'
Grant (BSOG), concessionary fares and urban bus challenge (see
below and above).
4. CONCESSIONARY FARES
Since June 2001 there has been a statutory minimum requirement
for authorities to provide at least half fares and a free bus
pass for older people (men and women over 60) and disabled people.
There is no means test. Some local authorities are more generous,
including the London Boroughs and the Passenger Transport Executives
(PTEs). London, Merseyside, West Midlands, Crawley, Reading and
Redditch offer free fares.
All PTE areas and London have good child concession arrangements
of half fare or better and cover the home to school journey. In
London from January 2004 all children under 11 travel free on
buses. Elsewhere child concessions may be offered commercially
or by local authorities, and we understand that around 40% of
shire counties have such a scheme. Commercial concessions are
at the discretion of operators and vary from time to time and
place to place, and may only operate in off-peak periods. The
cost of ALL concessionary fares (most is for older and disabled
people) is met through the Revenue Support Grant and the distribution
in 2001-02 was:
|
| £ million
|
|
| English district councils | 70
|
| English PTEs | 202
|
| London | 129
|
| Unitary councils | 86
|
| TOTAL | 487
|
|
5. BUS SERVICE
OPERATORS GRANT
(BSOG)
This is paid directly to bus operators according to how much
fuel they use in providing local bus services. It refunds 80%
of the duty paid on fuel.
6 and 7. SOCIAL
SERVICES AND
HEALTH
No up-to-date figures for Social Services and non-emergency
health transport are available. We have taken the Audit Commission
estimates from their report "Going Places" which were
based on information from 10 local authorities. We have uprated
the 1999-2000 estimates by 3% per annum, which is probably an
underestimate.
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