Transport Act 2000

Local transport plans and bus strategies

108 Local transport plans

(1) Each local transport authority must—

(a) develop policies for the promotion and encouragement of safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities and services to, from and within their area, and

(b) carry out their functions so as to implement those policies.

(2) The transport facilities and services mentioned in subsection (1) are—

(a) those required to meet the needs of persons living or working in the authority’s area, or visiting or travelling through that area, and

(b) those required for the transportation of freight;

and include facilities and services for pedestrians.

(3) Each local transport authority must prepare a document to be known as the local transport plan containing their policies under subsection (1).

(4) In this Part “local transport authority” means—

(a) a county council in England,

(b) a council of a non-metropolitan district in England comprised in an area for which there is no county council,

(c) a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area in England, or

(d) a county council or county borough council in Wales.

109 Further provision about plans

(1) A local transport authority must keep their local transport plan under review and alter it if they consider it appropriate to do so.

(2) The authority must replace the plan not later than five years after the date on which it was made.

(3) As soon as practicable after any occasion when they prepare a new plan or alter their plan, the authority must—

(a) publish the plan or the plan as altered in such manner as they think fit, and

(b) send a copy of it to the Secretary of State (in the case of an authority whose area is in England) or the National Assembly for Wales (in the case of an authority whose area is in Wales) and to such other persons (if any) as may be specified in guidance under section 112(1).

(4) The authority must also—

(a) cause a copy of their local transport plan to be made available for inspection (at all reasonable hours) at such places as they think fit,

(b) give notice, by such means as they think expedient for bringing it to the attention of the public, as to the places at which a copy of it may be inspected, and

(c) supply a copy of it (or any part of it) to any person on request, either free of charge or at a charge representing no more than the cost of providing the copy.

(5) Where a local transport authority have, before the coming into force of section 108, prepared and published a document which—

(a) contains policies developed by them for the purposes described in subsection (1)(a) of that section, and

(b) was prepared and published in accordance with guidance issued by the Secretary of State (as respects England) or the National Assembly for Wales (as respects Wales),

that document shall be taken to be the authority’s local transport plan.

(6) But, in the case of a document which is a local transport plan by virtue of subsection (5), subsection (2) requires its replacement not later than—

(a) 31st March 2006, if it relates to an area in England, or

(b) such date as is specified in an order made by the National Assembly for Wales, if it relates to an area in Wales,

(rather than not later than five years after the date on which it was made).

110 Bus strategies

(1) Each local transport authority must prepare a document to be known as the bus strategy containing their general policies as to how best to carry out their functions (or, in the case of a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area, as to how the functions of the Passenger Transport Executive for their area would be best carried out) in order to secure that—

(a) bus services meet such of the transport requirements of persons within the authority’s area as the authority consider should be met by such services,

(b) bus services meeting such requirements are provided to the standards to which the authority consider that they should be provided, and

(c) such additional facilities and services connected with bus services are provided as the authority consider should be provided.

(2) The bus strategy is to form part of the authority’s local transport plan.

(3) In developing their bus strategy, the authority must have regard to any measures the authority are required or propose to take for meeting transport requirements in carrying out any functions of theirs as a local education authority or any social services functions (within the meaning of the [1970 c. 42.] Local Authority Social Services Act 1970) of theirs.

(4) In developing their bus strategy, a Passenger Transport Authority must seek and have regard to the advice of the Passenger Transport Executive for their area.

(5) In this Part “bus services” means services using public service vehicles.

111 Consultation and publicity about bus strategies

(1) In complying with section 110, a local transport authority must consult—

(a) any other relevant local authority whose area may, in the opinion of the authority, be affected by the bus strategy developed by them,

(b) if the authority is a county council in England, the councils of the districts in the county (if any),

(c) either operators of bus services which are provided within the authority’s area or organisations appearing to the authority to be representative of such operators, and

(d) organisations appearing to the authority to be representative of users of such services.

(2) For the purpose of subsection (1)(a) the following are relevant local authorities—

(a) local transport authorities,

(b) metropolitan district councils,

(c) London transport authorities, and

(d) councils in Scotland;

(except that, in the case of consultation by a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area, a council for a metropolitan district comprised in the area is not a relevant local authority).

(3) When an authority publish a statement of a new bus strategy or their strategy as altered in accordance with section 109(3)(a), they must send a copy of it to each authority, council, operator or organisation consulted under subsection (1) on the occasion in question.

112 Plans and strategies: supplementary

(1) In carrying out their functions under sections 108 to 111, a local transport authority must have regard to any guidance concerning—

(a) the content of local transport plans (and bus strategies),

(b) the preparation of such plans (and strategies),

(c) the alteration and replacement of such plans (and strategies), and

(d) the publication and making available of such plans (and strategies) as originally made and as altered or replaced,

which is issued from time to time by the Secretary of State (as respects England) or the National Assembly for Wales (as respects Wales).

(2) In developing their policies under section 108(1) and their bus strategy, a local transport authority must have regard to the transport needs of persons who are elderly or have mobility problems.

113 Role of metropolitan district councils

(1) The duties imposed on a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area by sections 108(1)(a) and (3), 109(1) to (3), 110(1) and 111(3) shall be performed by—

(a) that Authority, and

(b) the councils for the metropolitan districts comprised in the area,

acting jointly.

(2) The duties imposed on a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area by sections 108(1)(b), 109(4), 110(3) and 112 are also duties of each of the councils for the metropolitan districts comprised in the area.

(3) Section 109(5) applies in the case of a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area only if the document to which it refers has been prepared and published by—

(a) that Authority, and

(b) the councils for the metropolitan districts comprised in the area,

acting jointly.