MUNICIPAL BUS COMPANIES

That this House notes with pride that 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the entry into service of the first publicly-owned buses, when on 30 March 1914 six open-topped double deckers started work on routes in Coventry; recognises the importance of the remaining municipally-owned bus companies in providing excellent services and cheaper fares for passengers in UK cities and towns, including Newport, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Blackpool and Reading; is alarmed by the onslaught against local authority-supported bus services which has seen thousands of services cut or reduced since May 2010; further notes with concern that the Government does not record service cuts in the deregulated bus market which provides 78 per cent of bus services across the UK; further notes the RMT union's findings that since 2003 UK bus fares have increased by over 60 per cent; supports the Campaign for Better Transport's call for an examination of all cases for reform of the bus industry, including municipal ownership and not-for-profit services; and calls on the Government to enact an urgent review of bus services.