Buses and Taxis FAQs
This briefing answers Frequently Asked Questions about buses and taxis, including funding, regulation, complaints, greener vehicles, cross-border taxis, and concessionary bus travel.

An e-petition (600954) calling on the Government not to introduce new offences for vehicle “tampering” will be debated in Westminster Hall on 25 April 2022. It will be led by Nick Fletcher MP on behalf of the Petitions Committee.
E-petition on vehicle 'tampering' offences (179 KB , PDF)
The title of the petition is “Do not implement proposed new offences for vehicle “tampering“. It had received 111,620 signatures as of 12 April 2022 and will close on 17 May 2022. The full text is as follows:
“The Government’s modernising vehicle standards proposal suggested new offences for tampering with a system, part or component of a vehicle intended or adapted to be used on a road. This could have a hugely detrimental impact on the UK motorsport and custom aftermarket industry.
Modified vehicles that are used on the roads are subject to the same MOT testing as all other road cars and there are therefore adequate safeguards to ensure modified vehicles are roadworthy.
The MOT also includes emissions testing, which ensure that modified cars do not breach emission standards.
Some modifications, such as aftermarket brake parts, can even increase safety and applying any offences to improvements like this would be illogical.”
The modernising vehicle standards proposal which the petition refers to is set out in the ‘tackling tampering’ section of a consultation titled Future of transport regulatory review: modernising vehicle standards. This consultation ran from 28 September to 22 November 2021.
The Government responded on 21 December 2021. The response says that the Government proposes to prevent “harmful” tampering which can affect the safety of road users as well as that of wider society e.g. from harmful vehicle emissions, but that the Government does not seek to prevent “legitimate” vehicle modifications. It also points to the risks of relying on MOTs alone to tackle harmful tampering. It also notes that although the Government consulted on restricting vehicle modifications in 2021, it has not yet published its response, or confirmed its next steps or any legislative measures.
The consultation ‘modernising vehicle standards’, ran from 28 September to 22 November 2021 and sought “views on areas of vehicle standards regulation that are outdated, a barrier to innovation or not designed with new technologies and business models in mind.”
This consultation is part of a wider, ongoing Future of Transport Programme led by the Department for Transport, Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.
In the consultation document, the Government set out four areas where they are proposing to make changes. One of these was around ‘tackling tampering’. The Government proposed to:
“create new offences for tampering with a system, part or component of a vehicle intended or adapted to be used on a road. This will enable us to address existing gaps in the legislation, ensuring cleaner and safer vehicles. We will also create new offences for tampering with non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) and for advertising ‘tampering’ services or products.”
The Government’s specific proposals on vehicle tampering are to create:
We would like to emphasise that our policy intention is to prevent modifications that have a negative impact on road safety, vehicle security and the environment.”
The document was updated on 12 November 2021 “to clarify the policy intention in relation to vehicle tampering” as follows:
“We do not intend our proposals to:
Some stakeholders have raised concerns that the Government’s objectives regarding vehicle modifications in this consultation are unclear, and that legitimate vehicle modifications might become illegal.
On 15 November 2021, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) issued a statement criticising the apparent lack of clarity over what kinds of ‘customisations’ may become illegal.
The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) gave a more positive statement about the consultation on 29 October 2021:
“Department for Transport officials have reassured representatives of the NMC, including the BMF’s Anna Zee, that motorcyclists have nothing to fear from the recent anti-tampering consultation.
The original wording of the consultation – a maze of legal language – implied that any modification of a machine could be outlawed, and classed as ‘tampering,’ although the spirit of the wording was aimed at items which increase noise or emissions, such as aftermarket exhausts without a catalyser.
Anna Zee said: “We were invited to a meeting with DfT officials on 27th October to discuss this section of the consultation. They were quick to admit this could have been worded better; it is NOT intended to prevent customisation of bikes or the fitting of aftermarket products which do the same job, or better, as the original equipment. It IS intended to apply to anything which affects emissions, the computerised systems which are installed and such devices as the dongles advertised for increasing the speed on e.g. e-scooters.” […]
Some areas of the proposed legislation still need to be clarified, such as possible exemptions for competition and off-road bikes, plus classic machines. The NMC argues that modifications to classic bikes can improve running without increasing performance.”
In April 2022, the Petitions Committee ran an online survey to ask petitioners how the Government’s proposals to create new criminal offences for vehicle tampering would affect them. The survey findings were published on 14 April 2022.
The consultation ended on 22 November 2022. The Government is now considering submissions and has said it will publish a response “in due course” and that legislation may be required:
“In the call for evidence, we said that ultimately the regulatory review may conclude that substantive legislative reform is required. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as our plans develop and as we determine areas where changes to primary legislation are necessary. Where that is the case, we would look to bring forward legislative proposals when Parliamentary time allows.”
Do not implement proposed new offences for vehicle “tampering”, House of Commons Petition and UK Government Response, 2021
E-petition on vehicle 'tampering' offences (179 KB , PDF)
This briefing answers Frequently Asked Questions about buses and taxis, including funding, regulation, complaints, greener vehicles, cross-border taxis, and concessionary bus travel.
A debate has been scheduled in Westminster Hall for 4.30pm on 9 January 2023 on an e-petition relating to requirements to stop and report road traffic collisions involving cats. The subject for the debate has been chosen by the Petitions Committee, and the debate will be opened by Tonia Antoniazzi MP.
A Westminster Hall debate has been scheduled for 20 December at 2.30pm on expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone. The debate will be opened by Gareth Johnson MP.