PRIVATISATION HAS FAILED THE BUS SECTOR

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: sept/oct 2025 :: RMTnews 19 RMT has welcomed the Transport Committee’s report on the state of England’s bus services and backed its call for long-term funding, protection of socially necessary routes and greater support for local authorities. The union said that the House of Commons report confirmed what bus workers and passengers have known for years – deregulation and disinvestment have slashed services, driven up fares, and left communities isolated while frontline staff face low pay and job insecurity. RMT has welcomed the government’s decision to repeal the ban on new municipal bus companies – a long-standing union demand – which would give local authorities the power to set up publicly owned operators and reinvest profits back into services and communities. The union said that repealing the ban was the first step to rolling out a system that moves our entire bus network to public ownership, and which is fully accountable and responsible to local communities. Government funding should be targeted to achieve this goal. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the government’s recognition of the vital role local bus services play in local communities was an important step forward. “Enabling councils to take control of their bus networks, through public ownership, could be a game changer and deliver the affordable and reliable services passengers need if it is supported by ring- fenced and targeted funding. “But to make this vision work, councils must have long- term funding guarantees to expand and restore services, and we need strong protections for bus workers including secure jobs, good pay and fair pensions, improvements to safety, so we can tackle the recruitment and retention crisis. “As the Transport Committee highlights, the government needs to come up with a coherent strategy to improve bus services and attract passengers. “The solution is not to tinker around the edges but to end the failed legacy of deregulation and put our buses back where they belong in public hands,” he said. RMT is calling for the repeal of the municipal bus company ban – giving councils the legal right to create and run high- quality, publicly owned networks. The union’s ultimate goal is full public ownership which could be supported by the development of a national bus company. Long-term funding is also required – five-year funding settlements to allow proper planning, expansion and restoration of routes, including fair support for rural and isolated areas. There must be legal protections for workers – guaranteed jobs, pay, pensions and conditions under any new operating model. It also calls for the creation of a National Bus Sector Forum – a statutory body of trade unions and employers to address sector-wide challenges including safety and recruitment and retention. RMT said that it will continue campaigning for a fully funded, publicly owned and integrated bus network that delivers for passengers and workers alike. PRIVATISATION HAS FAILED THE BUS SECTOR RMT calls for public ownership for bus services following government report