Department For Transport

The Department for Transport is consulting on updates to Great Britain’s vehicle type-approval scheme for passenger vehicles, goods vehicles, trailers and components. Proposals include accepting certain EU component approvals, incorporating newer UNECE lighting, anti-theft, tyre-pressure monitoring, automated lane-keeping and driver-assistance regulations, updating mandatory safety standards, clarifying transitional provisions, and simplifying approval documentation. The consultation would also clarify towing mass allowances, align vehicle repair and maintenance information requirements with recent EU changes while excluding the EU’s SERMI system, and correct rules governing technical-service assessments. Responses are due by 11:59pm on 29 September 2026, with a response summary expected within three months and statutory instruments planned subject to stakeholder and ministerial approval.

The Department for Transport is consulting on incorporating selected EU and international vehicle regulations into Great Britain's type approval scheme for passenger and goods vehicles. The proposed changes would amend the assimilated regulations through one or more statutory instruments, with implementation intended as soon as possible after the consultation. The consultation applies to England, Scotland and Wales and closes at 11:59pm on 29 September 2026.

The Department for Transport published the June 2026 monthly update on the UK Ship Register, covering ships joining and leaving the register from January 2015 through June 2026. The statistics report vessels flagged in and out, the total number of registered vessels, and their gross tonnage, with data available in tables FLE0100 and FLE0100b. The release states that the statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

The Department for Transport has published monthly statistics on international and domestic sea passengers arriving at and departing from UK ports in June 2026. The release provides separate tables for all passengers, arrivals and departures, with the statistics produced under standards regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

The wreck of RMS Titanic is protected under international agreements, and anyone wishing to explore or investigate it must obtain a licence. The Department for Transport is the licensing authority for UK nationals and UK-flagged vessels, with advice from Historic England. The guidance explains how to apply and provides an example licence.

The Department for Transport reports that, for the year ending March 2026, average delay on Great Britain’s local ‘A’ roads was estimated at 43.4 seconds per vehicle per mile, while England’s figure was 44.5 seconds. Average speed was estimated at 24.6 mph across Great Britain and 24.3 mph in England. On the Strategic Road Network, average delay was 10.9 seconds per vehicle per mile, down 7.6% from the previous year. The release includes Scotland and Wales local ‘A’ roads data for the first time, but warns that changes to the underlying vehicle sample from April 2025 make longer-term comparisons unreliable. A further Strategic Road Network release covering data to June 2026 is planned, followed by a pause while National Highways changes its methodology.

The Department for Transport reports that, in the 12 months ending March 2026, GB-registered heavy goods vehicles operating in the UK lifted 1.56 billion tonnes of goods, moved 164 billion tonne-kilometres, and travelled 19.0 billion kilometres. HGV driver vacancies were reported by 25% of businesses in the first quarter of 2026, broadly unchanged from the previous quarter. The most common reasons for vacancies were existing drivers leaving the industry, better pay or benefits elsewhere, and driver retirement.

Jo Shanmugalingam and Karina Singh appoint Tim Gamon as senior responsible owner for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project, effective 1 April 2026. Gamon is accountable for implementing the project, maintaining its viability, managing risks, reporting transparently and escalating issues to the appropriate Department for Transport and National Highways committees. The project aims to upgrade six remaining single-carriageway sections between Scotch Corner and Penrith, creating a continuous dual carriageway while improving connectivity, safety, journey reliability, access to services and tourism, and environmental outcomes. The letter sets requirements for funding controls, business-case approval, assurance, evaluation, parliamentary accountability and publication of major-project information.

Children aged 5 to 15 can travel free on participating eligible bus services across England from 1 to 31 August 2026. The Department for Transport lists participating operators and included or excluded routes by region, while advising passengers to check operator and council websites for local rules, proof-of-age requirements and service details. Participation is voluntary, some services such as coaches, school-only buses and certain airport routes are excluded, and demand-responsive services may be covered under local arrangements. The page also provides fraud-reporting and contact details and notes that the £3 bus fare cap continues until 31 December 2026.

The government will cap single bus fares at £2 across England outside London for the full year of 2027, supported by £400 million in funding redirected from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero through budget reprioritisation. The measure aims to reduce travel costs, improve access to essential services and support rural and coastal communities with typically higher fares. It replaces the existing £3 cap and complements broader investment in the bus sector, including over £100 million in additional support and free travel for children during August. The statement also highlights over £3 billion committed to buses over three years and upcoming reforms under the Bus Services Act 2025 to strengthen local authorities’ ability to shape services.

The UK government has announced the September start of work to remove and preserve the three masts of the SS Richard Montgomery, a WWII wreck containing wartime explosives in the Thames Estuary. Specialist engineers will construct an underwater platform to safely dismantle the structures, backed by £9.5 million in government funding and guided by extensive safety assessments. The masts will be restored at The Historic Dockyard Chatham before being displayed locally to support heritage and tourism. Officials and contractors stress rigorous safety standards, ongoing monitoring, and collaboration with local authorities, with work expected to conclude by late September depending on weather conditions.

The government proposes strengthening laws to ensure all in‑use road vehicles maintain the emissions standards applied at their manufacture. Evidence indicates many vehicles emit pollutants above legal limits due to degraded or modified emissions control systems, contributing to poor air quality and health impacts. The plan includes updating regulation 61A, prohibiting maintenance or modifications leading to excessive emissions, and applying penalties under the Road Traffic Act. Exemptions would cover limited circumstances such as unavoidable faults or vehicles driven for repair. The consultation also considers extending rules to motorcycles and other vehicle classes and sets out a proposed six‑month implementation period before enforcement begins.