Speaker's statement and Debate on bill on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, in the House of Commons, led by Simon Lightwood. The answering member was Jerome Mayhew.

Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]

Report stage. New clause 38 discussed with further new clauses and amendments. New Clause 38 agreed to on question. New Clause 2 negatived on division (69 to 300). Clause 1 amendment 58 negatived on division (92 to 364). Clause 14 amendment 23 negatived on division (158 to 297). Clause 28 amendment 10 negatived on division (153 to 300). Government amendments to clauses 1, 3, 24, 25, 29, 34, 36, 39, 40, Schedule, agreed to. Third Reading. Agreed to on division (362 to 87). Bill passed with Amendments. Deputy Speaker's statement reporting an error in Division No. 288 on the Question relating to New clause 2 (The correct number of Noes should read 300, instead of 400).

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 772 cc906-1000
Session: 2024-26
Department: Department for Transport
Legislative stage: Third reading; Report stage
Procedure: New clauses; Proxy voting
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Related items: Bus Services (No. 2) Bill (HL) 2024-26. As amended in Public Bill Committee
Thursday, 3 July 2025
Bills
House of Commons
Proceeding contributions: Simon Lightwood | 772 c907 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.; Nusrat Ghani | 772 cc907-927 (Link to this contribution)
With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:
New clause 1—£2 bus fare scheme—<...; Simon Lightwood | 772 cc927-9 (Link to this contribution)
I have the pleasure of opening today’s debate on Report. I look forward to a lively discussion on...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c929 (Link to this contribution)
I call the shadow Minister.; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c929 (Link to this contribution)
I am slightly surprised to be called so early, but I am delighted to speak in the debate. This wi...; Chris Vince | 772 c930 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the shadow Minister to his place. My question is on his comments on profitability. Part...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 cc930-1 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member is quite right, of course. I am not suggesting that bus services should be only f...; Roz Savage | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for drawing attention to the need to provide for disabled bus users. M...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady will know, from reading the Hansard of Committee proceedings, what time and effort ...; Marie Tidball | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
I’ll tell you what kind of cut is unacceptable—; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
Order.; Marie Tidball | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
In my constituency—; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Please be seated. I should have to say “Order” only once. You just said the word “you”, so...; Marie Tidball | 772 c931 (Link to this contribution)
My apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the only unacceptabl...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 cc931-2 (Link to this contribution)
That does not take away from the overarching point that Labour has increased bus fares by 50% and...; Jacob Collier | 772 c932 (Link to this contribution)
The shadow Minister talks a lot about price, but he is defending a system in which my constituent...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c932 (Link to this contribution)
I am perfectly happy with that principle. In fact, it was a Conservative principle, first introdu...; Andrew Snowden | 772 c932 (Link to this contribution)
Political choices are made locally and nationally. Labour Members talk about the past 14 years, b...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 cc932-3 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is entirely right. I refer the House to Norfolk county council—another Conservativ...; Joe Robertson | 772 c933 (Link to this contribution)
On the point about financial risk for local authorities, does my hon. Friend agree there is absol...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c933 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is quite right.
There is some good in the amendments. I come to amendment 58...; Luke Myer | 772 c934 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman suggests that the Conservative position is to support combined authorities bei...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c934 (Link to this contribution)
I thought the hon. Member was in favour of devolution. Not all mayoral combined authorities are t...; 772 c934 (Link to this contribution); Nusrat Ghani | 772 c934 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Will Members please be seated? Before I go to speeches from Back Benchers, I want to be cl...; Ruth Cadbury | 772 cc934-5 (Link to this contribution)
You are absolutely right, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will not repeat what I said on Second Reading, ...; Ashley Fox | 772 c935 (Link to this contribution)
On that point, does the hon. Lady accept that increasing the fare cap from £2 to £3 is likely to ...; Ruth Cadbury | 772 c936 (Link to this contribution)
I speak in the context of devolution within an overarching set of values. I will not go into the ...; Helen Maguire | 772 c936 (Link to this contribution)
North East Surrey College of Technology in my constituency is not accessible by bus, leaving stud...; Ruth Cadbury | 772 c937 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Member for her intervention, which goes to the heart of what I am saying: it is ...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c937 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I talked so highly of the Select Committee Chair and said that she does everything right, ...; Ruth Cadbury | 772 c937 (Link to this contribution)
I have only been here 10 and a bit years; I will get used to it. I was referring to my hon. Frien...; Martin Wrigley | 772 c937 (Link to this contribution)
In addition to the point about socially necessary routes, companies such as Stagecoach cut the fr...; Ruth Cadbury | 772 c937 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member is entirely correct.
Our amendments would support local transport authoriti...; Nusrat Ghani | 772 c937 (Link to this contribution)
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.; Paul Kohler | 772 c938 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Minister and commend him for his constructive engagement throughout the passage of th...; Helen Maguire | 772 c938 (Link to this contribution)
The E5 bus service for Langley Vale in my constituency has a woefully inadequate timetable and a ...; Paul Kohler | 772 c939 (Link to this contribution)
Those are exactly the issues that the Bill should and could address if the Minister took the bold...; Ashley Fox | 772 c939 (Link to this contribution)
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it is odd that the provisions apply to people who travel on tr...; Paul Kohler | 772 cc939-940 (Link to this contribution)
I agree entirely. We need a simple rule across all public transport. I also think it is odd that ...; Victoria Collins | 772 c940 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely support the reduction of the price cap to £2. However, in my constituency, where the...; Paul Kohler | 772 c940 (Link to this contribution)
Those are indeed the issues that we need to address and that are not addressed at the moment—my h...; Steve Darling | 772 c940 (Link to this contribution)
In Torbay, which is sadly one of the most deprived constituencies in the south-west of England, b...; Paul Kohler | 772 cc940-1 (Link to this contribution)
That is hugely important. If we want to get people back on the buses and help the most deprived i...; Grahame Morris | 772 cc941-3 (Link to this contribution)
I declare an interest as a member of the RMT and Unite parliamentary groups, and I refer Members ...; Julian Lewis | 772 cc943-4 (Link to this contribution)
I rise to support new clause 47, which stands in my name and that of the hon. Member for Harrogat...; Marsha De Cordova | 772 c944 (Link to this contribution)
It is an absolute pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis)...; Florence Eshalomi | 772 c944 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend knows that one of the busy floating bus stops in my constituency is right outside ...; Marsha De Cordova | 772 c944 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend will not be surprised to hear that I agree 100% with her assessment. She is right;...; Daniel Francis | 772 c945 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for her campaigning on this issue. She knows that, as chair of the all-par...; Marsha De Cordova | 772 c945 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely. I thank my hon. Friend for making that point so well. I am fairly certain that the Mi...; Florence Eshalomi | 772 c945 (Link to this contribution)
Does my hon. Friend agree that by getting this right and ensuring that we have bus stops that are...; Marsha De Cordova | 772 c946 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are encouraging people to do more active travel and to use...; Helen Morgan | 772 cc946-7 (Link to this contribution)
North Shropshire is a very rural constituency, and it is nestled in against the Welsh border, whi...; Tom Hayes | 772 c947 (Link to this contribution)
In Bournemouth East, I am campaigning to get a better bus route to Bournemouth airport, to improv...; Helen Morgan | 772 cc947-8 (Link to this contribution)
I am broadly supportive of the Bill, because I think it will do that. My point is that the power ...; Chris Hinchliff | 772 cc948-950 (Link to this contribution)
I speak in support of the Bill and in favour of new clause 22 in my name.
We can now say in...; Ashley Fox | 772 cc950-1 (Link to this contribution)
My constituents want the performance, accessibility and quality of bus services to be improved, a...; Euan Stainbank | 772 cc951-3 (Link to this contribution)
I refer hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and declare an i...; Judith Cummins | 772 c953 (Link to this contribution)
With an immediate five-minute time limit, I call Tom Gordon.; Tom Gordon | 772 cc953-4 (Link to this contribution)
I will start by speaking to new clause 2, which stands in my name and is supported by over 70 col...; James MacCleary | 772 c954 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend may be aware that in East Sussex, where I am lucky enough to be an MP, the county ...; Tom Gordon | 772 cc954-5 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point and I highlight the work that Liberal Democrat councillor...; Julia Buckley | 772 c955 (Link to this contribution)
I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as co-chair of the a...; Charlotte Cane | 772 c956 (Link to this contribution)
I rise to speak in support of new clause 2, which was tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Har...; Josh Fenton-Glynn | 772 c957 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in support of the Bill and new clauses 46 and 66 table...; Anna Sabine | 772 cc957-8 (Link to this contribution)
I will speak to new clause 2 brought forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate and Knare...; Neil Duncan-Jordan | 772 cc958-9 (Link to this contribution)
I rise to speak in favour of new clause 21, which stands in my name. Many members may be unaware ...; James MacCleary | 772 cc959-961 (Link to this contribution)
Day in, day out, I hear from people across my constituency—from Polegate to Plumpton—who want to ...; Marie Tidball | 772 c961 (Link to this contribution)
I rise to speak to new clause 2, which covers issues of accessibility. My older, younger and disa...; Alison Griffiths | 772 c961 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady and I share a huge concern for ensuring access to all types of transport, including...; Marie Tidball | 772 cc961-2 (Link to this contribution)
The accessibility plans that this Bill will now put in place will dramatically improve the access...; John Milne | 772 cc962-4 (Link to this contribution)
I will speak mainly to new clauses 32 and 33 in my name.
There is a lot to like in the Bill...; Peter Prinsley | 772 c964 (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to speak in the debate. I support new clause 22, introduced by my hon. Friend th...; Vikki Slade | 772 cc965-6 (Link to this contribution)
I rise to support amendments that will serve to ensure the most vulnerable and isolated people in...; Alex Mayer | 772 cc966-7 (Link to this contribution)
My amendment 66 and new clause 46 are not intended to change Government policy, nor to bind the h...; Liz Jarvis | 772 cc967-8 (Link to this contribution)
Two weeks ago, the No. 61 bus made its final journey—yet another bus service my constituents reli...; Steff Aquarone | 772 cc968-9 (Link to this contribution)
I had the pleasure of serving on the Bill Committee, and I am pleased to see the Bill back before...; Clive Jones | 772 cc969-970 (Link to this contribution)
I will speak to new clauses 1 and 2, and amendment 9. This Government are giving more powers to l...; Charlie Maynard | 772 cc970-1 (Link to this contribution)
There is a lot to welcome in the Bill, and I support the overarching aim. However, there are seve...; Caroline Voaden | 772 cc971-2 (Link to this contribution)
Over the summer recess, I held surgeries in 52 towns and villages across my constituency and an i...; Siân Berry | 772 cc972-3 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my fellow members and the Chairs of the Public Bill Committee for the work they did; I fe...; Judith Cummins | 772 c973 (Link to this contribution)
I call the shadow Minister.; Jerome Mayhew | 772 cc973-4 (Link to this contribution)
We have had an interesting debate with around 25 to 30 speakers, and some themes have developed f...; Paul Kohler | 772 c974 (Link to this contribution)
Does the shadow Minister accept that I made the point to him in Committee that he was being too n...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c974 (Link to this contribution)
I stand corrected, in the sense that I have listened to the hon. Member and, on reflection, I acc...; Tom Gordon | 772 c974 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c974 (Link to this contribution)
On that point, I will give way.
5.30 pm; Tom Gordon | 772 c974 (Link to this contribution)
The shadow Minister mentioned how the Conservative party came to change its view on my hon. Frien...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c975 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful, although I am not sure whether that was an intervention on jeering or cheering and...; Scott Arthur | 772 c975 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the shadow Minister for the way in which he is approaching the debate. Local authorities ...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c975 (Link to this contribution)
I am sorry that the hon. Member was not in his place throughout the course of the debate, as he w...; Simon Lightwood | 772 c976 (Link to this contribution)
With the leave of the House, I thank those who have contributed to today’s debate. I have careful...; Jerome Mayhew | 772 c976 (Link to this contribution)
I hope that the Minister is not misleading the House inadvertently. Although he is right that it ...; Simon Lightwood | 772 c976 (Link to this contribution)
I am afraid that we have been around this roundabout quite a few times. I neither recognise nor a...; Richard Holden | 772 c977 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister should see how committed we were in office, because I gave more than a billion pound...; Simon Lightwood | 772 c977 (Link to this contribution)
I would not stand there so proud of overseeing 300,000 miles fewer travelled by buses under the C...; Julian Lewis | 772 c977 (Link to this contribution)
It is good news that 66% of local authorities recognise the importance of companion bus passes fo...; Simon Lightwood | 772 cc977-8 (Link to this contribution)
We believe in passing the power and the funding down to local areas to make these decisions. A mu...; Tom Gordon | 772 c978 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister made an interesting point earlier about allowing local transport authorities and may...; Simon Lightwood | 772 c979 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. The national fare cap has been successful. We co...; Oliver Ryan | 772 c979 (Link to this contribution)
Does the Minister agree that the £3 fare cap is an essential lifeline for people taking the bus f...; Simon Lightwood | 772 cc979-981 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree, and unlike the Conservatives, we actually got it funded.
I thank hon. M...; Judith Cummins | 772 c981 (Link to this contribution)
The result of the Division is as follows: the Ayes were 69, the Noes were 400.; Stephen Morgan | 772 c997 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wish to report an error in the announcement of the D...; Caroline Nokes | 772 c997 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Teller for that point of order and for correcting the record. I hereby direct the Cle...; Heidi Alexander | 772 cc997-8 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time.
This Government believe that relia...; Caroline Nokes | 772 c998 (Link to this contribution)
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
6.51 pm; Richard Holden | 772 cc998-9 (Link to this contribution)
What bus passengers really want is reliable, affordable and cheap bus travel on a growing network...; Caroline Nokes | 772 c999 (Link to this contribution)
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
6.55 pm; Paul Kohler | 772 c999 (Link to this contribution)
My party supports this Bill. After decades of failure, with the deregulation orchestrated by the ...; Caroline Nokes | 772 c999 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman has repeatedly used the words “you” and “yours” throughout this afternoon’s pr...; Paul Kohler | 772 c999 (Link to this contribution)
And the Government’s failure to address the awful scourge of headphone dodgers. Most fundamentall...
Subjects: Staff Access Disability Children Disclosure of information Bus services Anti-social behaviour Buses Concessions Fares Finance Exhaust emissions Franchises Electric vehicles Low incomes Older people Managers Passengers Working hours Standards Rural areas Safety Scotland Training
Legislation: Bus Services (No. 2) Bill (HL) 2024-26
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]

Secondary information

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