17 December 2024
RMT Press Office:
Bus workers’ union RMT has welcomed the Government’s renewed focus on the importance of local bus services and its commitment to reversing decades of decline in the sector.
However, the union has stressed the need for guaranteed long-term funding, public ownership options, and strong protections for bus workers to ensure the plans deliver real improvements for communities and passengers.
The Government’s announcement acknowledges the significant challenges facing the bus sector in England, including service cuts, rising fares, and job losses.
These issues have deepened since privatisation and deregulation in the 1980s, which left services driven by commercial priorities rather than community needs.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: "The Government’s recognition of the vital role local bus services play in our communities is an important step forward. Enabling local authorities to take greater control of their bus networks, including through public ownership, could help deliver the affordable and reliable services passengers need.
"To make this vision a success, it’s vital that councils are given long-term funding guarantees to expand and restore services. We also need strong protections for bus workers, with secure jobs, good pay, and fair pensions, to address the current recruitment and retention crisis.”
RMT welcomed the proposed repeal of the ban on municipal bus companies, which would allow local authorities to establish publicly owned services. The union highlighted the potential for these models to create high-quality, affordable services while reinvesting profits into communities.
To ensure the reforms are effective, RMT called for:
Guaranteed funding: Sustained investment to help local authorities deliver reliable and expanded bus services.
Worker protections: Legislation to safeguard jobs, pay, conditions, and pensions for all bus workers.
A national forum: Establishing a statutory body of trade unions and employers to tackle sector-wide challenges, as recommended by the Transport Select Committee in 2019.
RMT is committed to working with the Government, local authorities, and industry to ensure that the bus sector delivers for both passengers and workers.
END
Unity House
Tel: 020 7387 4771
Email: