GovWire

Guidance: Setting up a bus franchising scheme

Department For Transport

December 17
17:00 2024

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Guidance explaining how local transport authorities in England can:

  • establish franchising for bus services in line with the Bus Services Act 2017
  • use this mechanism to deliver their bus service improvement plans

This guidance states the statutory and non-statutory processes along with the legal process of establishing bus franchising.

Updated guidance - December 2024

From 17 December 2024, updated guidance has come into effect.

Any authority which published a statutory notice of intent to develop a franchising notice of intent on or after 17 December 2024 should have regard to the December 2024 guidance.

Any authority which had published a statutory notice of intent to develop a franchising assessment before 17 December 2024 should have regard to the March 2024 guidance.

Enhanced partnerships

Bus franchising is one of two options available to local authorities when working in partnership with bus operators. The other alternative is an enhanced partnership.

Updates to this page

Published 27 November 2017
Last updated 17 December 2024 +show all updates
  1. Updated guidance added.

  2. Updated guidance published.

  3. Addition of service permit appeal procedures.

  4. An additional paragraph (1.107) provides further guidance regarding reducing the area to which a franchising scheme relates, or revoking a franchising scheme.

  5. First published.

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