Open consultation

Bus Services Act 2025: improving information about local services

Updated 9 July 2026

The Department for Transport (DfT) is seeking views on using powers introduced by the Bus Services Act 2025 to:

• fully digitise the registration, variation and cancellation processes for local bus service
• request and publish new data from bus operators

The aim is to create a single, open source of information about a wider range of local bus services. The new system should make it simpler for operators and users to input data and easier for the public to access bus service information.

We also intend to gather and release new data from bus operators about their services.

Introduction

Robust data is the foundation of effective transport accountability. It enables operators and local transport authorities (LTAs) to improve outcomes for passengers while providing central government with the evidence needed for strategic oversight and intervention.

Equally, passengers want to be able to find out:

• where buses in their area and beyond go
• when a bus will arrive
• what features they can expect to see on local services

Without comprehensive data, none of this is possible and bus performance becomes hard to monitor, preventing both local improvement and strategic national coordination.

DfT wants to make bus service data more transparent and accessible. We will work to gather more information from local transport authorities and bus operators, and make this available to passengers. This will be achieved through several initiatives, including:

• monitoring the outcomes that matter to passengers through the Local Transport Outcome Framework
• developing official statistics
• using new powers to access bus registration and transparency data

The Bus Services Act became law on 27 October 2025. The act supports the government’s commitment to delivering better buses by putting power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders across England.

The act contains a variety of measures, with the aim of empowering local areas to choose the bus operating model that best suits their needs and to improve the overall passenger experience. Among these measures are 3 sections focused on information about local services, which aim to create a single, open source of information about local bus services.

We intend for this new information source to enable the input of registration, variation and cancellation data by operators and local transport authorities (LTAs), and be accessible to the public on GOV.UK. We also intend to link this new data provision system with the existing Bus Open Data Service (BODS), which is already used by operators and LTAs to input data about bus services and is available to the public.

The act also broadens the categories of data the Secretary of State for Transport (SoS) can publish about the operation of bus services, such as:

• cost
• staffing
• fleet information

The Secretary of State will be able to publish this at operator-level, rather than in the aggregate, and will also be able to publish previously unpublishable data that the department already holds. The department must make secondary legislation via statutory instrument to bring these sections into force.

This consultation concerns the proposed exercise of the powers under section 6 of the Transport Act 1985 and section 141A of the Transport Act 2000, as amended by the Bus Services Act 2025. A statutory consultation is required only in respect of the exercise of the powers under section 6 of the Transport Act 1985 (see section 135 of the Transport Act 1985 and section 61 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981). The department has, however, taken a decision to consult in respect of section 141A as well, because using both powers has the same aim.

The consultation only focuses on secondary legislation being developed following Royal Assent of the Bus Services Act 2025 and not other DfT data workstreams.

The current scenario for local bus services

At present, there is no central source containing basic information about all local bus services in England. There are varying data provision requirements depending on the ‘type’ of service in question:

• local bus services must be registered with the traffic commissioner (TC) in areas where the TC administers the registration, cancellation and variation process
• local bus services in enhanced partnership (EP) areas ^{[footnote 1]} where registration, variation and cancellation has been delegated to the LTA must be registered with the LTA
• local bus services in areas where franchising schemes ^{[footnote 2]} operate have no registration requirement

Providing registration information about bus services

In areas administered by the TC, operators are required by law to provide registration information to the TCs, which can be done by paper or through a digital system.

In EP areas where the registration function has been delegated from the TCs to the LTA, while registration information must also be passed to the TCs, this is not then published on GOV.UK. Instead, it is published by each LTA separately, which has led to multiple decentralised sources of information about those services.

There are powers under section 6I of the Transport Act 1985 which require LTAs, in EP areas where registration has been delegated, to keep and supply a record of particulars described in section 6 of the same act to the TCs.

This ‘registration information’ is also known as ‘particulars’.

These particulars are required for all services:

• name of the operator
• PSV operator licence number, or community bus permit
• date on which a service is to start
• if an excursion or tour service, an outline of the route indicating the points, aside from the starting point, where the service will take up passengers and the maximum number of vehicle departures to be made on any one day
• times of year that the service will be provided
• confirmation of whether the service is subject to a requirement imposed by an EP scheme under s.138C(1) and (3) of the Transport Act 2000, and what the requirement is

These additional particulars are required for standard services only^{[footnote 3]}:

• starting and finishing points of the service
• confirmation of whether the service is an excursion or tour
• if it is not an excursion or tour, a description of the route with map, a timetable (except when service intervals are 10 minutes or less) and an indication of stopping places where the service will stop for longer than the time needed to pick up or set down passengers
• if it is an excursion or tour, an outline of the route indicating points, other than the starting point, where passengers will be taken up and also the maximum number of vehicle departures to be made on any one day
• details of stopping arrangements
• a description of reversing or other manoeuvres which mean a vehicle returns along part of its route

These additional particulars are required for flexible services only: ^{[footnote 4]}

• address of the operator
• a description of the area of operation of the service, with a map
• details on fixed stopping places and arrangements at said place
• an indication of fixed stopping places where a vehicle may stand for longer than the time required to pick up or set down passengers
• terms and methods for booking a journey
• timing of the service – if it is not possible to specify the exact time of arrival, a time window of less than 20 minutes where a vehicle is intended to arrive or depart (a longer time period is allowed if, in an exceptional case, the TCs believe this would be reasonable)

Finally, in areas where franchising schemes operate, the registration requirement is removed completely. This means there is no requirement to publish registration, variation and cancellation information about these services (although similar information is made available online by the one existing franchising authority). Operators can however register their franchised services voluntarily.

Currently, applications to register, vary or cancel a local bus service can be made to the Traffic Commissioner using either paper or electronic means. The paper method is mostly used by operators and is no longer considered fit for purpose due to:

• the high administrative burden on TCs
• the technical limitations of conducting the registration process on paper rather than electronically
• the government’s wider ambitions to digitise public services

There is an existing electronic method for registration, known as electronic bus service registration (EBSR), but this is used by a relatively small proportion of operators and requires updating to make it fit for purpose for the future. Digitising the registration process is expected to bring about benefits to TC analysis and reporting

Providing bus open data, transparency data and statistics

Beyond registration information, there is a legal requirement for operators of local services ^{[footnote 5]} to supply bus open data to DfT. This is input using BODS, the government’s digital service, which pulls together data from bus operators to enable the public to view timetables, fares and bus location data in a unified form.

BODS provides data for:

• journey planning app providers
• innovators
• local authorities
• regulators

This leads to innovations within the digital transport sector and better data availability about bus services for passengers.

The act also expands data transparency in relation to local bus services. Operators are currently required to provide the Secretary of State with certain data about their services. Some of this data is published in the aggregate rather than at operator level and is provided through sources such as the Annual bus statistics survey and co-working with the Home Office and Police. The data is gathered for the compilation of official statistics, to provide public accountability on the performance of the bus sector.

The Statistics of Trade Act 1947 makes it a legal requirement to respond to the annual bus statistics survey. Data required currently includes:

• passenger journeys and trends
• certain data about bus mileage and fleet
• data on staff and drivers
• data on relative change in the price of fares

The availability of multiple, sometimes overlapping data streams about bus services, as well as varying requirements placed on different ‘types’ of service, has led to a fragmentation in the availability of data. This means passengers are currently unable to consult one source for all information about bus services.

Our proposal to improve information about bus services

The act presents an opportunity to digitise registration and make it interact more efficiently with BODS. This could lead to a lower administrative burden on the operators, TCs and LTAs and easier access to information for passengers and other data users. Full digitisation will allow registration to better interoperate with other government and external functions such as:

• compliance
• funding
• real-time information and mapping services

We envisage making full digitisation possible through the creation of a new registration, variation and cancellation information input system, and a publicly available database. The information input system will enable operators and LTAs to provide information to DfT about their bus services.

We aim to link the system with BODS so that operators can complete BODS data input and registration information input in one centralised location (where applicable). Alongside this, we aim to develop a public-facing database, so that passengers can access all bus service information in one centralised location.

We currently anticipate that both the information provision system and the public-facing database will be built and owned by DfT. As well as facilitating the build of the system and database, we expect DfT will take ownership of hosting and maintaining them both on GOV.UK.

Operators and LTAs will be able to input data onto the system, with TCs also being given access to enable them to fulfil their statutory function as the registration body. Access to the public database of information will be available to all.

The government’s ambition is also to make bus performance information more meaningful and accessible and make a greater amount of that data publicly available. The act, therefore, includes measures to widen the Secretary of State’s data collection and publication powers.

The Secretary of State will be able to publish new categories of data about bus services at operator level. This is being done with the aim of empowering passengers to make decisions about their bus usage based on more detailed information about the routes and vehicles available in their area and beyond.

To implement these changes, we must make statutory instruments to set out the detail required to make the information provision system work in practice, as well as data points and frequencies of collection for the data transparency provisions. This consultation covers multiple aspects of these statutory instruments, as detailed below.

Enabling the provision of registration information to the Secretary of State

New section 6(9)(da) of the Transport Act 1985 (inserted by section 24(2)(a)(i) of the 2025 act) gives the Secretary of State power to make regulations enabling the provision of registration information to the Secretary of State and the traffic commissioners.

Our current proposal is that operators and relevant LTAs will provide information about their bus services to the new system, which will be owned by DfT and therefore the Secretary of State. TCs will be able to obtain this registration information to carry out their statutory functions, necessitating the provision of information to both organisations.

Enabling the provision of registration information to the Secretary of State where a traffic commissioner has the power to refuse an application for registration, variation or cancellation

New section 6(9)(da) of the Transport Act 1985 (inserted by section 24(2)(a)(i) of the 2025 act) also gives the Secretary of State the power to make regulations enabling the provision of information to the Secretary of State where a traffic commissioner has the power to refuse to accept an application for registration, variation or cancellation.

Our current proposal is to allow the traffic commissioner to reject an application unless the operator gives that information to prescribed persons. We intend that the prescribed persons will be the traffic commissioners and the Secretary of State, to enable the new information provision system to be hosted by DfT and accessed by TCs for fulfilment of their statutory functions.

Provision of records to a traffic commissioner about the operation of a service

New section 6(9)(j) (inserted by section 24(2)(a)(ii) of the 2025 act) gives the Secretary of State the power to make regulations relating to the provision of records to a traffic commissioner about the operation of a service. We propose that the records operators must make available to the TCs about their services are also made available to the Secretary of State.

Use and disclosure of information received under Section 6 of the Transport Act 1985

New section 6(9)(ka) (inserted by section 24(2)(a)(iii) of the 2025 act) gives the Secretary of State power to make regulations about the use and disclosure to enable publication of information received under section 6 of the Transport Act 1985. Our proposal is to enable the information gathered under previous sections to be published. There is no existing power which enables the Secretary of State and TCs to do this.

Manner and form in which information under section 6 of the Transport Act 1985 is to be provided

New section 6(9)(12) (inserted by section 24(2)(b) of the 2025 act) gives the SoS the power to make regulations about the manner and form in which information under section 6 of the Transport Act 1985 is to be provided.

Our proposal is to fully digitise the provision of information to the TCs and the Secretary of State. We also propose making regulations specifying the information must be provided electronically, therefore removing the existing paper-based application process.

Prescribing persons to whom registration information from LTAs in enhanced partnership areas with delegated registration functions will be provided

New section 6I(4) (inserted by section 24(3)(a) of the 2025 act) gives the Secretary of State the power to make regulations to prescribe persons to whom registration information from LTAs in enhanced partnership areas with delegated registration functions is to be provided.

Our current proposal is to prescribe the persons to be the TCs and the Secretary of State, consistent with earlier sections. This is so that we can newly require LTAs in delegated registration areas to provide us with information about their services. This will enable information about those services to be available on the new information provision system, making it more complete.

Provision of information from LTAs in EP areas with delegated registration – what must be provided, in which manner and form, and how the information may be used and disclosed

Provisions in new section 6I(7) (inserted by section 24(3)(b) of the 2025 act) give the Secretary of State powers to make regulations in relation to the provision of registration information from LTAs in enhanced partnership areas with delegated registration functions. As discussed in the previous paragraph, we envisage that delegated EP LTAs will be newly required to provide information about their services to the fully digitised system.

The Secretary of State will be able to make regulations to prescribe the particulars (the information) that delegated EP LTAs will have to provide, the manner and form in which the particulars are to be supplied, and as to the use and disclosure of the records kept and particulars supplied. We propose to require the same information which is provided when registering a local service with the Traffic Commissioner (the ‘particulars’ previously listed) to be provided electronically using the same system, and for it to be published in the public domain on the new database.

Provision of information about local services from franchising authorities to the Secretary of State, and increasing data transparency about bus services

Section 25 of the 2025 act amends section 141A of the Transport Act 2000 to provide for further types of information about local services and their operators to be provided to, and published by, the Secretary of State, by way of regulations.

The Secretary of State intends to use these adjusted powers to make regulations under section 141A, as follows:

• to require LTAs in franchise areas to provide information akin to registration information to the Secretary of State (and the TCs). This is a continuation of the ambition set out in previous paragraphs to create a fully digitised single source of information about bus services. It is intended for the TCs to have access to this information to enable the effective administration of their responsibilities, given that it is to be hosted on the digitised system. Franchised services are exempt from registration with the TCs.
• to improve data transparency around bus operators and the vehicles they use to provide local services, by requiring operators to provide new information to the SoS. We intend for the regulations to outline more specifically the data which will be required from operators.

Further categories of information which operators must provide to the Secretary of State

Section 4 adds further categories of information to the required list operators must provide, subject to regulations, to the SoS to aid data transparency. We propose the following data fields should be included in regulations and therefore requested from operators, and published:

• passenger journeys and trips – newly granular at individual service level, including concessionary travel
• USB chargers – newly available at the vehicle level
• wifi – newly available at the vehicle level
• cancellations and diversions – newly reported via BODS for future journeys and in near real time
• audio visual equipment – newly available at the vehicle level
• number of wheelchair spaces – newly available at the vehicle level
• number of priority seats – newly available at the vehicle level
• CCTV – newly available at the vehicle level
• costs of operating a service, for example, the number of staff and government support, split by funding streams such as BSIP and BSOG – new levels of granularity in reporting
• diversions – newly reported via BODS for future journeys and in near real time on future days
• information about the type of school service being operated, such as open, closed, LA funded, privately funded – newly available as a way of separating existing information
• route and patronage data for demand responsive transport – where such services are ‘local bus services’
• vehicle type and capacity – newly available at the vehicle level
• fuel type of vehicle – newly available at the vehicle level
• fuel efficiency of vehicle – newly available at the vehicle level
• emissions of vehicle – newly available at the vehicle level
• mileage of vehicles by fuel type – newly available at the vehicle level
• making reported automatic vehicle location more timely, delivering updates sub-5 seconds
• requiring new technical information that will aid in the matching of timetables to live location feeds and easier identification of the vehicles themselves (for example, a registration mark)

How to respond

We will only accept responses received before the closing date: 11:59pm on 23 September 2026.

The easiest way to respond is to use the online response form. It includes the option to save and continue your response if you are unable to complete it in one go.

If you cannot use the online form, email or post your response to us.

Email to: busactdata@dft.gov.uk

Write to:

Bus Legislation and Franchising
PTLG 2nd Floor
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR

If you send your response by email or post:

• answer the questions asked in the consultation and, if required, provide further comments and evidence

• tell us if you are responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation

You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt if you submit your response by email. Check your junk or spam folder if you do not receive this within 15 minutes of sending your email. If you do not find a receipt, email busactdata@dft.gov.uk with ‘missing receipt’ in the subject line.

What will happen next

We will publish a summary of responses and the government response on the homepage for this consultation. Paper copies will be available on request.

If you have questions about this consultation please contact:

Bus Legislation and Franchising, PTLG
2nd Floor, Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR

Alternatively, you can email busactdata@dft.gov.uk

Full list of questions

These questions are listed here to give you an overview of what we are asking.

The consultation response form may include more questions, for example, questions about who you are.

See the Ways to respond section of the GOV.UK home page for this consultation to read a full list of questions and find out how you can respond to them.

The existing registration database

Question 1: Have you ever used the existing registration database? If so, for what purpose(s) have you used it?

Question 2: Are there any features of the existing database you would like to see carried over into a new database?

Question 3: Is there anything you would improve about the existing database referenced in Q1? If so, please explain.

Question 4: Do you agree or disagree with fully digitising the registration, variation and cancellation process for local bus services, as well as including information about services which do not have to be registered with a traffic commissioner (franchised services and those running in an EP area with delegated registration) on a single system?

Question 5: Do you agree or disagree with making all of the information in question 4 publicly available on GOV.UK?

Question 6: Do you agree or disagree with making the provision of information about services in EP areas with delegated registration and franchised services, also fully digitised?

Question 7: Do you agree or disagree with making the information provided by LTAs with delegated registration functions, and franchising LTAs, consistent with that provided by operators registering their services with the TCs?

Using the new data provision system

Question 8: As outlined earlier in this document, the government intends to create a new data provision system, bringing together information about franchised services, services operating in enhanced partnerships where the registration function has been delegated to the LTA, and services registered with a traffic commissioner. This will be published online.

If you are an operator of bus services, a franchising authority, an authority exploring franchising, or are responding on behalf of an LTA with a delegated registration function, what would you like the new database to allow you to do? If you are not responding on behalf of these bodies, please continue to question 10.

Question 9: If you are a passenger, a bus data consumer, or an organisation which provides information to passenger, what would you like the new data provision system to allow you to access, and how?

Using open data from BODS

Question 10: Have you ever used open data from the existing BODS? If so, for what purpose(s) have you used it?

Question 11: Are there any features of the existing BODS you would like to see carried over to a new database?

Question 12: Is there anything you would improve about the way open data are made available through the existing BODS? If so, please explain.

Question 13: One option for development of the new database is to publish the data contained within it via the existing BODS and link the 2 together, to create one source of information about local bus services across England outside London.

If the government proceeds with this approach, do you think the existing BODS system is a good template on which to base the publishing of open data from the new registration database, and why?

Records of registration

Question 14: If you are responding on behalf of a local transport authority (LTA) in an enhanced partnership (EP) area with a delegated registration function – in what format do you presently hold the information required under section 6I of the Transport Act 1985?

Question 15: If you are responding on behalf of a franchising authority, or an authority exploring franchising – do you already hold information about your services, similar or identical to that required under section 6I, centrally? If, so in what format?

Existing electronic bus service registration system (EBSR) and fully digitising registration, variation and cancellation

Question 16: Have you ever used the traffic commissioners’ EBSR system to register, vary or cancel a bus service? If so, are there any existing features or capabilities of EBSR that you’d like to see carried over to a fully digitised system?

Question 17: Is there anything that puts you off using the existing EBSR system?

Question 18: Is there anything you would improve about the existing EBSR? If so, please explain.

Question 19: If you currently use paper applications to vary, cancel or register a service, why do you choose this over EBSR?

Question 20: One option for the development of a fully digitised system used to populate the new database is to integrate it with the data submission process for the existing BODS and link the 2 together to create a single registration and BODS data submission journey for local bus services across England outside London.

If the government proceeds with this approach, do you think the existing BODS system is a good template on which to base the submission of data for the new database? Or would a new or different approach be favourable?

Question 21: What, in your opinion, would be the advantages of basing the submission of data for the new database on the existing BODS system and creating a single registration and BODS data submission journey?

Question 22: What, in your opinion, would be the drawbacks of basing the submission of data for the new database on the existing BODS system and creating a single registration and BODS data submission journey?

Question 23: For LTAs in EP areas with a delegated registration function, authorities exploring franchising or franchising authorities who could be required to input information about their services via a fully digitised system – do you foresee any barriers or issues with inputting registration, variation and cancellation information regarding your bus services onto a GOV.UK online portal like BODS or EBSR? Please describe.

Question 24: For operators of bus services who currently register, vary and cancel them with the traffic commissioners via the paper registration process – how much lead-in time do you anticipate you will require to move from paper to electronic registration, variation and cancellation applications?

Functionality of the fully digitised system

Question 25: What functionalities would you find most useful in a new GOV.UK portal? This can be with reference to either administering bus registrations, variations and cancellations, or navigating the new portal once it is available to access information about bus services.

Data transparency

Question 26: Do you agree with the general concept of increased data transparency around local bus services (going beyond existing initiatives)? Do you foresee any opportunities or challenges across any of the following areas:

• areas where passengers would benefit from additional information being openly available, such as likely occupancy, accessibility or environmental features (for example, to aid journey planning), as selected operators already provide in their apps
• areas where additional information being openly available would help monitor effective bus operation and local network performance or make analysis more meaningful

Question 27: DfT’s view is that there could be greater transparency on the vehicles used to operate a local bus service (including their on-board facilities and technical specification), the type of service being operated, the costs of operating the services they run, the number of staff engaged in doing so, the distance travelled by vehicles, the number of journeys made and the number of passengers on services.

Additionally, it sees opportunities to aid journey planning through the surfacing of journey cancellations and diversions in real time to improve passenger confidence.

With reference to the list of data which we propose mandating operators to provide and which would be published by the department, is there specific data you think DfT should, or should not, be requiring operators to provide or make public?

Question 28: Is there any data that you think DfT should require provision of (for example, to effectively enact its role as custodian of the bus sector), but not publish in the public domain?

Question 29: If data such as that listed in previous questions was required for additional reporting, at what frequency do you think DfT should require operators to provide updates?

Question 30: If DfT were to pursue new regulations in this space, it would likely seek to require any additional data to be provided via the existing BODS. Do you foresee any potential benefits or challenges in requiring additional data to be provided and distributed via that service? Do you have a preferred method or format for certain data items to be provided by?

Question 31: If DfT was seeking to enhance BODS in this way, it would have the opportunity to update the existing data reporting regime, including the existing technical specification.

For example, it could increase the frequency with which live automatic vehicle location data should be provided, to provide a smoother display of service movements on a map, or improve bus priority infrastructure, or require additional information to make linking of timetable, fare and location data easier to achieve.

Are there any opportunities you think could come about as a result of these changes, or any challenges that could be addressed through them?

Question 32: Through BODS DfT requires both UK-specific and particular international data standards to be used when data is provided. Noting that the international standards have evolved since the origins of BODS, are there any particular standards you would like DfT to consider if existing requirements are to be updated or additional data is to be required?

Question 33: For operators of bus services who currently report data via BODS – how much lead-in time do you anticipate you will require to accommodate any changes in data provision requirements?

Question 34: For operators of bus services who currently report data via BODS – what costs do you anticipate you would incur should additional data be required?

Question 35: For operators of bus services who currently report data via BODS – what tools or support would assist your business to meet any new requirements?

Question 36: For existing users of BODS data – what tools or support would assist your ability to make effective use of any new data?

Guidance

Question 37: Would you find guidance on using the new database useful? If so, what would you like it to cover?

Further information

Freedom of information

Information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

If you want information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, under the FOIA, there is a statutory code of practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence.

In view of this, it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information, we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the department.

Data protection

Your consultation response and the processing of personal data that it entails are necessary for the exercise of our functions as a government department. DfT will, under data protection law, be the controller for this information.

Personal data collected through this consultation is processed in line with our online forms, surveys and consultations privacy notice.

DfT’s privacy policy has more information about your rights in relation to your personal data, how to complain and how to contact the Data Protection Officer.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be used to analyse responses to this consultation. Where the consultation asks for directly identifiable information, such as your name or contact details, these will be removed before processing with AI tools.

1. An enhanced partnership (EP) is a statutory partnership between one or more LTAs and their local bus operators that sets out how they will work together to deliver bus service improvement plan (BSIP) outcomes in the defined geographical area(s) set out in the EP. ↩

2. In a franchising scheme, local authorities determine the details of the services to be provided – where they run, when they run and the standards of the services. Typically, bus operators provide their services under contract to the local authority and the local authority can let whatever contract they feel is appropriate. No other services can operate in the franchised area without the agreement of the franchising authority. ↩

3. A standard service is any service that is not a flexible service. ↩

4. A flexible bus service is a registered local bus service serving one or more communities within a specified geographical area, where routes and timings are flexible and primarily determined by the travel requirements of passengers who book in advance. The service is open to the general public and passengers pay separate fares. ↩

5. In franchised areas, this is the franchising authority. ↩