These Regulations prescribe elements of the process contained in sections 6ZA to 6ZC of the Transport Act 1985 (“the 1985 Act”) relating to bus services. Section 6 of the 1985 Act and the Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (“the 2001 Regulations”) deal with the registration of local services (defined by section 2 of the 1985 Act). Section 6 and the 2001 Regulations also deal with the circumstances in which such a registration can be varied or cancelled. Without this registration, a local service cannot be provided by an operator.

Sections 6ZA to 6ZC of the 1985 Act enable an affected authority (defined by section 6ZA(6) of that Act) to obtain specific service information from an operator who proposes to vary or cancel the registration of a local service and, in limited circumstances, share it with other people who may wish to bid to provide a similar service to the one being withdrawn or varied. Sections 6ZA to 6ZC provide that certain elements of this process may be prescribed in regulations.

Regulation 2 prescribes the period within which an affected authority may require the operator to provide them with prescribed information relating to the local service.

Regulation 3 prescribes the information relating to the local service which an operator may be required to provide to an affected authority.

Regulation 4 prescribes the period within which an operator must provide required information to the affected authority.

Regulation 5 prescribes the circumstances in which section 6ZA of the 1985 Act shall not apply to a proposed application to vary or cancel the registration of a local service.

Regulation 6 prescribes the form of the information to be provided by an operator when they are required to provide information to an affected authority.

Regulation 7 provides that these Regulations apply only in relation to notifications of proposed applications to vary or cancel a registration received by an affected authority on or after the date on which these Regulations come into force.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.