Closed petition Re-regulate rural bus services in England

Closed on 20 June 2023

Running most rural bus services commercially on the current deregulated market isn't working for bus companies because they cut services that they claim are not commercially viable due to increased running costs and/or low passenger numbers. Fully subsidising rural services would be a better option.

Although running interurban bus services on a deregulated market works well for bus companies at cities, large towns and seaside resorts because they're profitable, running most rural bus services commercially on a deregulated market isn't working for bus companies because when services get reduced or withdrawn, this can have a massive impact on passengers who rely on the buses to commute to work, hospital appointments or leisure trips, especially when the timetable is inadequate; ie not frequent enough nor running into the late evening or doesn't run every day; ie it runs Monday to Saturday, but it doesn't run on Sundays and Bank Holidays.