asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made an assessment of how long it would take for a quality contract for bus services to go from proposal to implementation under the process set out in Putting Passengers First; if so, whether they will set out the stages and likely timescale for each stage; and whether they will place a copy of any material in support of these assessments in the Library of the House. [HL2163]

Initial estimates informing our proposals contained within Putting Passengers First are that it might take between 14 and 20 months from consultation on a proposed quality contracts scheme to the scheme coming into operation. This is dependent on a number of variables, which are currently being discussed and developed further with stakeholders, including the traffic commissioners. The Government will publish an indicative timetable alongside the draft Road Transport Bill.