Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026

• (a) sections 1 to 3;

• (b) section 5(6) and (7);

• (c) section 11;

• (d) section 14(2) and (3);

• (e) section 15(1) and (2);

• (f) section 27(3)(b), (4) and (5);

• (g) section 28(3)(b) and (4);

• (h) section 29(2) to (5);

• (i) section 30;

• (j) section 32(2)(b), (8), (9)(a)(i) and (9)(b)(i);

• (k) sections 42 to‍ 46;

• (l) this section;

• (m) section 49.

• (2) The following provisions come into force at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which this Act receives Royal Assent—

• (a) section 4;

• (b) section 21.

• (3) The other provisions of this Act come into force on a day appointed by the Welsh Ministers in an order made by Welsh statutory instrument.

• (4) An order under subsection (3)—

• (a) may make transitional or saving provision;

• (b) may appoint different days for different purposes and different areas.

Short title

49

This Act may be referred to as—

• (a) the Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026, or

• (b) Deddf Gwasanaethau Bysiau (Cymru) 2026.

SCHEDULE

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c. 27)

1

• (1) The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 is amended as follows.

• (2) In section 1 (traffic regulation orders outside Greater London), in subsection (3B)—

• (a) omit paragraph (a);

• (b) omit paragraph (b).

• (3) In Schedule 9, in paragraph 27, omit sub-paragraph (3).

Transport Act 1985 (c. 67)

2

• (1) The Transport Act 1985 is amended as follows.

• (2) In section 6 (registration of local services)—

• (a) in subsection (2A), in paragraph (a), omit “or 114(3A)” and “and quality partnership schemes”;

• (b) omit subsection (2B);

• (c) omit subsection (7A);

• (d) in subsection (8), omit “and, in the case of variation, to section 6B of this Act”.

• (3) In section 6A (applications for registration etc. where restrictions are in force)—

• (a) in subsection (1), in paragraph (a), omit “or 114(3A)” and “or a quality partnership scheme”;

• (b) in subsection (8), in paragraph‍ (c), omit “or 118(4)”;

• (c) in subsection (12)—

• (i) omit the entry for “quality partnership scheme”;

• (ii) in the entry for “registration criteria”, omit paragraph (b);

• (iii) in the entry for “relevant operator”, in paragraph (a), omit “or 118(4)”.

• (4) Omit section 6B (applications for registration where quality contracts scheme in force).

• (5) In section 26 (conditions attached to PSV operator’s licence), in subsection (1)—

• (a) in paragraph (b), omit “118(4),“ and “, 129(1)(b)”;

• (b) in paragraph (bza), omit “, 134B(7)(c)”;

• (c) in paragraph (ba), omit “, 138”.

• (6) In section 66 (exclusion of powers of certain councils to run bus undertakings), in subsection (1), omit “and 132C”.

• (7) In section 82 (bus stations: restrictions on discriminatory practices etc.), in subsection (4A), omit “or a quality partnership scheme”.‍

• (8) Section 93 (travel concession schemes) is amended as follows—

• (a) in subsection (1), in the opening words, at the end, insert “other than services within subsection (1A)”;

• (b) after subsection (1), insert—

(1A) A service is within this subsection if it is a local bus service for the purposes of section 1 of the Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026 (asc [X]).

• (9) In section 134 (regulations, rules and orders), in subsection (7), omit paragraph (c).

• (10) In section 135 (procedure for making regulations, rules and orders), in subsection (8), omit paragraph (c).

Transport Act 2000 (c. 38)

3

• (1) The Transport Act 2000 is amended as follows.

• (2) In section 139 (information about bus services)–

• (a) in subsection (1), after “Each local transport authority” insert “whose area is in England”;

• (b) in subsection (4), after “an authority” insert “whose area is in England”.

• (3) In section 143 (power to obtain information about local services), in subsection (1), after “A local transport authority” insert “whose area is in England”.

• (4) In section 149 (travel concessions: reimbursement of operators)—

• (a) in subsection (1), in paragraph (b), after “145B(1)” insert “, other than in respect of a service that is within subsection (1A),”;

• (b) after subsection (1), insert—

(1A) A service is within this subsection if it is a local bus service for the purposes of section 1 of the Bus Services (Wales) Act [2026] (asc [X]), and it is— (a) provided under a local bus service contract entered into under section 10 of that Act, or (b) provided by the Welsh Ministers under section 18 of that Act.

;

• (c) in subsection (2), in paragraph (a)(ii), at the beginning, insert “in respect of a service other than a service that is within subsection (1A),”.

• (5) In section 153 (competition test: functions and agreements relating to buses)—

• (a) in subsection (1), in paragraph (a)—

• (i) omit “quality partnership schemes,” the second time it occurs;

• (ii) omit “ticketing schemes,” the second time it occurs;

• (b) in subsection (3), in the definition of “voluntary agreement”, omit “, or under sections 114 to 123 (quality partnership schemes)”.

• (6) In section 155 (sanctions), in subsection (1)—

• (a) in paragraph (b), omit “, 118(4), 129(1)(b)”;

• (b) in paragraph (ba), omit “, 134B(7)(c)”;

• (c) in paragraph (c), omit “, 138”.

• (7) In section 162 (interpretation of Part II)—

• (a) in subsection (1)—

• (i) omit the entries for “appropriate national authority”, “exempt continuation proposal”, “quality contract”, “quality contracts scheme”, “quality partnership scheme” and “ticketing scheme”;

• (ii) in the entry for “connecting rail or tram service”, omit paragraph (b) and the “and” before it;

• (b) in subsection (4), omit “section 114(2)(a),”, “section 116(2)(a), (4)(a), (4A)(a) and, in the second place, (4C),”, “section 118(1) and (2),” and “section 129(4),”.

• (8) In Schedule 10 (competition test for exercise of bus functions)—

• (a) in paragraph 1, in sub-paragraph (1)—

• (i) omit paragraph (a);

• (ii) omit paragraph (b);

• (b) in paragraph 1, in sub-paragraph (2)—

• (i) omit paragraph (a);

• (ii) omit paragraph (b);

• (c) in paragraph 12, in sub-paragraph (2), in paragraph (b), omit “a quality partnership scheme,” and “, a ticketing scheme”;

• (d) in paragraph 17, in sub-paragraph (5), in paragraph (c), omit “a quality partnership scheme,”.

• (9) In Schedule 11 (minor and consequential amendments), omit paragraph 8.

Local Transport Act 2008 (c. 26)

4

• (1) The Local Transport Act 2008 is amended as follows.

• (2) Omit—

• (a) sections 13 to 21;

• (b) section 26;

• (c) section 28 to 32;

• (d) sections 34 and 35;

• (e) sections 37 to 43;

• (f) in section 44, subsection (1);

• (g) section 49;

• (h) in Schedule 1, paragraphs 2 and 3;

• (i) in Schedule 4, paragraph 43.

Meaning of “local bus service”

Meaning of “embarkation point” and “disembarkation point”

Meaning of “flexible local bus service” and “standard local bus service”

Welsh Ministers’ duty to have regard to objectives

Local bus services: core duties

Preparation of Welsh Bus Network Plan

Review and revision of Welsh Bus Network Plan

Further provision about revisions to the Welsh Bus Network Plan

Revision of Welsh Bus Network Plan: local authority duties

Local bus service contracts

Power to make supplementary provision about local bus service contracts

Local bus service permits

Period for which local bus service permit has effect

Conditions attached to local bus service permits

Applications for local bus service permits

Revocation and suspension of local bus service permits

Local bus service permits: appeals

Provision of local bus services by the Welsh Ministers

Reliance on community bus services and certain other services for the purposes of the section 5(1)(c) duty

Cross-border services and the duty to secure the provision of services

Report on progress towards section 4 objectives

Notification to be given to traffic commissioner of certain matters relating to local bus service contracts and permits

Restriction on providing local bus services

Duty on Welsh Ministers to inform traffic commissioner of any breach of the restriction

Enforcement of the restriction

Enforcement of restriction: appeals

Provision of information to the Welsh Ministers by current and former operators for the purposes of functions under Part 2 or 3

Provision of information about infrastructure and certain other matters to the Welsh Ministers by local authorities and community councils for the purposes of functions under Part 2

Duty to secure that information is made available to the public

Provision of information to the Welsh Ministers for the purposes of section 29

Provision of information: exclusion on grounds of legal privilege

Enforcement of information requirements

Enforcement of information requirements: appeals

Provision of bus services by local authorities: removal of restriction

Removal of duty to secure local bus services

Financial assistance in connection with local bus services

Application of TUPE

Transport Act 1985: removal of requirements relating to registration

Transport Act 1985: existing registration etc. ceasing to have effect

Restriction on the power to secure the provision of public passenger transport services under section 7 of the Transport (Wales) Act 2006

Transport Act 2000: removal of certain local authority schemes

Regulations under this Act

Giving notices etc.

General interpretation

Index of defined terms

Power to make consequential, transitional etc. provision

Minor and consequential amendments

Coming into force

Short title

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c. 27)

Transport Act 1985 (c. 67)

Transport Act 2000 (c. 38)

Local Transport Act 2008 (c. 26)

Editorial notes