Supporting bus passengers

05 April 2012

Squirreled away deep in the Department for Transports website are details of the payments made under the snappily entitled Bus Service Operator Grants or BSOG for short – http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/public-transport/buses/publications/bsog-payments-to-31-march-2012/

This basically amounts to a kind of fuel rebate for bus operators. The tables show just how extensive the payments are – right across the country to a very wide range of operators – all sizes including many community transport operations. It also makes you realise just what a nightmare administering this must be and why reform is constantly on the agenda. But it also underlines how important this grant is in supporting a wide range of services that bus passengers rely on. The Government has done well to keep the grant in place, albeit reduced. Reform must be done carefully with a close eye on the most important side effect – what will it mean for passengers?