S5 Timescales

We do not intend to bring all of the new requirements in as a single exercise, which would effectively require every bus operator and transport authority to be ready to provide the information from a single date. Instead, we intend to phase the new requirements over an agreed period. However, we are also aware that having the assurance of a specific date helps organisations in planning for a transition, as long as that date is firm and clearly known. We are therefore seeking your views on the proposed sequence of bringing forward the new Regulations, in order to formalise and communicate the dates by which each element will be required. This will inform the overall timetable, which will be subject to Parliamentary procedure.

We expect the requirement to submit timetable data in the necessary standard will be the most achievable requirement before real time and fares information. This is because the data is less complex, and many operators are already using a single standard. This could be required as early as 12 months after the Regulations comes into force.

We expect to introduce the requirement to publish fares and ticket data at a later point than route and timetable data to allow all companies to update their systems and to allow operators to upskill and prepare their business for the new processes. We believe that simple fares information should come after timetable information, followed later by complex fares information, with complex information becoming mandatory not more than 24 months after the Regulations come into force.

Real time data is not currently mandated and therefore not all operators currently have real time facilities. Additionally in more rural areas there may be geographic limitations which restrict the systems that can be used. We propose that the requirement to submit this data could be aligned to the dates for complex fares data.

We propose that local authorities will be required to undertake this duty from 6 months after the Regulations come into force. This is because many local authorities already have business processes in place for managing this data, but may need to review or adapt these processes in order to maintain high quality bus stop data.

• April 2026, the BOD Regulations come into force, marking the start of mandatory open data duties,
• October 2026, or six months after coming into force, Local Authority requirement to keep NaPTAN up to date commences
• April 2027, or 12 months after coming into force, Bus operator requirement to submit timetable data in the required standard
• October 2027, or approximately 18 months after coming into force. Bus operator requirement to submit simple fares information
• April 2028, or 24 months after coming into force. Bus operator requirement to submit complex fares information and punctuality data in required standard and real time data in required standard