DfT Bus Reform Pilot - Stakeholder Questionnaire

Pilot Overview

Cumbria has been selected by the Department for Transport as a Bus Reform Pilot Study area. This gives Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council the opportunity to explore potential new ways of planning, funding and delivering bus services together.

The purpose of the pilot is to assess whether bus reform could help improve public transport outcomes across Cumbria, recognising the challenges of delivering reliable and accessible services in a predominantly rural county. The study considers how the bus network can better support key council outcomes and priorities. The following draft desired outcomes for bus reform in Cumbria have been developed as part of this study, aligning with existing council outcomes:

• Towards a Cumbrian bus network that provides reliable, affordable and attractive connections to jobs, education, services and amenities.
• Towards a Cumbrian bus network that supports sustainable, resilient, diversified economic activity and development, supporting economic and social regeneration.
• Towards a Cumbrian bus network that meets the needs of diverse groups of people.
• Towards improved integration of the Cumbrian bus network with other public transport and with active modes.

More information on the pilot can be found here: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/news/2026/cumberland-council-welcomes-department-transport-visit-rural-bus-pilot-progresses

Figure 1: Map showing high level extents of the commercial and supported bus network in Cumbria.

NB1: ‘Supported’ route lines may only be subsidised at certain times of the day or week.

NB2: “Not supported by Cumbrian Councils” could mean they are commercially operated, or supported by neighbouring/cross-boundary authorities

Purpose of this Questionnaire

This questionnaire aims to gain an understanding of stakeholder insights to inform the assessment of potential options for future bus service delivery model(s) in Cumbria. You are being contacted because your knowledge or organisation may provide valuable insight into local transport needs, reflecting real experiences, needs and priorities across the region.

The questionnaire is split into three sections, as follows:

1. Respondent details
2. Overall views on the current bus network in Cumbria
3. Specific questions on the relationship between your organisation/group/business and the bus network

The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to answer, comprising of a number of multiple choice and open-answer questions to provide further details.

Your feedback plays an important role in shaping the future bus network across Cumbria. Taking part does not commit you to any position and all feedback is to be considered alongside other evidence as part of the pilot study.

This is a closed survey, targeting specific organisations, businesses, groups and individuals. Please do not forward on or invite other organisations/ individuals/ members of the general public to complete. There will be opportunity for wider community conversations later in the study. If other organisations would like the link to the questionnaire – please contact cumbriabusreformpilotstudy@jacobs.com.

The information you provide in this survey will be used by Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council to gain feedback to inform the Bus Reform Pilot Study in Cumbria.

Our consultants – Jacobs will be analysing your responses, which will be treated confidentially and reported in a way that does not identify you. We will process your data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

For more information about how your data is used, please read our privacy notices: Cumberland Council privacy notice and Westmorland and Furness privacy notice.

By completing this survey, you agree to your information being used in this way.

If you have any queries or comments about completing this questionnaire, or would like more information about the study, please contact: cumbriabusreformpilotstudy@jacobs.com