Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026

1. Introductory Text

2. PART 1 KEY CONCEPTS AND GENERAL OBJECTIVES

   1. Key concepts

      1. 1. Meaning of “local bus service”

      2. 2. Meaning of “embarkation point” and “disembarkation point”

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

   2. Objectives

      1. 4. Welsh Ministers’ duty to have regard to objectives

3. PART 2 FUNCTIONS OF THE WELSH MINISTERS RELATING TO LOCAL BUS SERVICES

   1. Core duties of the Welsh Ministers

      1. 5. Local bus services: core duties

   2. Welsh Bus Network Plan

      1. 6. Preparation of Welsh Bus Network Plan

      2. 7. Review and revision of Welsh Bus Network Plan

      3. 8. Further provision about revisions to the Welsh Bus Network Plan

      4. 9. Revision of Welsh Bus Network Plan: local authority duties

   3. Local bus service contracts

      1. 10. Local bus service contracts

      2. 11. Power to make supplementary provision about local bus service contracts

   4. Local bus service permits

      1. 12. Local bus service permits

      2. 13. Period for which local bus service permit has effect

      3. 14. Conditions attached to local bus service permits

      4. 15. Applications for local bus service permits

      5. 16. Revocation and suspension of local bus service permits

      6. 17. Local bus service permits: appeals

   5. Local bus services provided by the Welsh Ministers

      1. 18. Provision of local bus services by the Welsh Ministers

   6. Reliance on certain services

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

   7. Cross-border services

      1. 20. Cross-border services and the duty to secure the provision of services

   8. Reporting requirements

      1. 21. Report on progress towards section 4 objectives

   9. Notification to be given to a traffic commissioner

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

4. PART 3 RESTRICTION ON PROVIDING LOCAL BUS SERVICES

   1. 23. Restriction on providing local bus services

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

   3. 25. Enforcement of the restriction

   4. 26. Enforcement of restriction: appeals

5. PART 4 INFORMATION AND DATA

   1. Provision of information to the Welsh Ministers for the purposes of exercising certain functions

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

      2. 28. 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

   2. Information to be made available to the public

      1. 29. Duty to secure that information is made available to the public

      2. 30. Provision of information to the Welsh Ministers for the purposes of section 29

   3. Legal privilege

      1. 31. Provision of information: exclusion on grounds of legal privilege

   4. Enforcement

      1. 32. Enforcement of information requirements

      2. 33. Enforcement of information requirements: appeals

6. PART 5 LOCAL AUTHORITY POWERS AND DUTIES

   1. 34. Provision of bus services by local authorities: removal of restriction

   2. 35. Removal of duty to secure local bus services

   3. 36. Financial assistance in connection with local bus services

7. PART 6 MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL

   1. Transfer of undertakings

      1. 37. Application of TUPE

   2. Transport Act 1985: registration of services with traffic commissioner

      1. 38. Transport Act 1985: removal of requirements relating to registration

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

   3. Welsh Ministers’ power to secure provision of public passenger transport services

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

   4. Transport Act 2000: local authority schemes

      1. 41. Transport Act 2000: removal of certain local authority schemes

   5. General

      1. 42. Regulations under this Act

      2. 43. Giving notices etc.

      3. 44. General interpretation

      4. 45. Index of defined terms

      5. 46. Power to make consequential, transitional etc. provision

      6. 47. Minor and consequential amendments

      7. 48. Coming into force

      8. 49. Short title

8. 1. SCHEDULE

      MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS ETC.

      1. 1. Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c. 27)

      2. 2. Transport Act 1985 (c. 67)

      3. 3. Transport Act 2000 (c. 38)

      4. 4. Local Transport Act 2008 (c. 26)