Written questions by Newbury.

What proportion of vehicles rented by her Department are electric vehicles.

Under the previous contract, which ended on 31 March 2025, the contract’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) did not differentiate between Electric Vehicle or Internal Combustion Engine hires so the Department for Transport does not hold the requested information. However, the Department for Transport has recently started a new 3 year vehicle hire contract as of 1 April 2025. Within this contract it is mandated that EV provision is available to all hirers and the related data will be available quarterly going into the future.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the use of hydrogen for decarbonising heavy goods vehicles.

The Government is aware that hydrogen has a potential role to play in decarbonising heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The £200 million zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme will demonstrate both battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell veh...

What guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on consulting communities on (a) proposals for new and (b) the adequacy of existing bus routes.

Improving local transport services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.  The government have been clea...

What steps her Department is taking to support bus services in rural areas.

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into th...

If her Department will take steps to issue guidance to local authorities on the establishment of publicly-owned bus companies.

Improving local transport services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.As announced in the King’s Spee...