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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2025 No. 1247
COMPETITION
The Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing
Schemes Block Exemption) (Amendment) Order 2025
Made - - - - 25th November 2025
Laid before Parliament 1st December 2025
Coming into force - - 1st January 2026
In January 2025, in accordance with section 8(1) and (4) of the Competition Act 1998(1) (“the
Act”), the Competition and Markets Authority (“the CMA”) published details of its proposed
recommendation to the Secretary of State that the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing
Schemes Block Exemption) Order 2001(2) be amended.
The CMA considered the representations which were made to it about its proposed
recommendation and, in accordance with section 8(3) of the Act(3), has recommended that the
Secretary of State vary that Order(4).
The Secretary of State has decided to give effect to the recommendation without modification
and makes this Order in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 6(2)(a) and (7) and 71(3)(a)
of the Act.
Citation, commencement and extent
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing
Schemes Block Exemption) (Amendment) Order 2025 and comes into force on 1st January 2026.
(2) This Order extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
(1) 1998 c. 41. Section 8(1) was amended by paragraph 38(7) of Schedule 25 to the Enterprise Act 2002 (c. 40) and paragraph
3 of Schedule 5 to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (c. 24).
(2) S.I. 2001/319, amended by S.I. 2005/3347, 2011/227, 2014/549, 2016/126.
(3) Section 8(3) was amended by paragraph 38(7) of Schedule 25 to the Enterprise Act 2002 and paragraph 3 of Schedule 5 to
the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.
(4) The Competition and Markets Authority’s final recommendation can be found online at https://
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678e0d6f2080f65f988bd3d1/
CMA_s_final_recommendation_to_Secretary_of_State.pdf or obtained in hard copy by writing to Competition and Markets
Authority, The Cabot, 25 Cabot Square, London E14 4QZ.Document Generated: 2026-01-01
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This
item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
Amendment of the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block
Exemption) Order 2001
2.—(1) The Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption)
Order 2001 is amended as follows.
(2) In Article 2, omit the words from “and shall cease to have effect” to the end.
(3) In Article 3—
(a) in the definition of “connecting service”, omit “a bus service,”;
(b) in the definition of “vehicle”, for “animal; and” substitute “animal.”;
(c) omit the definition of “working day”.
(4) In Article 22(1), for “28th February 2021” substitute “1st January 2031 and subsequently at
intervals not exceeding five years”.
Kate Dearden
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
25th November 2025 Department for Business and Trade
2Document Generated: 2026-01-01
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This
item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order amends the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block
Exemption) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/319) (“the 2001 Order”). The 2001 Order is a block exemption
order under section 6 of the Competition Act 1998 (c. 41) (“the Act”), which gives effect to the
recommendation originally made by the Director General of Fair Trading that public transport
ticketing schemes (as defined in the 2001 Order) for local transport services constitute a category of
agreements which are likely to be agreements to which section 9(1) of the Act applies. Agreements
which fall within the category specified in the 2001 Order are exempt from the prohibition in Chapter
1 of the Act.
The 2001 Order was amended by the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes
Block Exemption) (Amendment) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/126) to extend its duration so that it would
cease to have effect at the end of the period of twenty-five years commencing on 1st March 2001.
On the recommendation of the Competition and Markets Authority this Order varies the 2001 Order
so that it will continue without a fixed duration.
Article 2 also amends the definition of “connecting service” to make clear that the definition includes
the long distance parts of trunk bus services (which are in effect, long distance services which have
some parts operating as local public transport services). This would mean that where passengers
are using a trunk bus service to travel longer distances, so distances of 15 miles or more from their
starting point, the travel operator could offer passengers a long distance add-on. Where passengers
use a trunk bus service to make a local journey of less than 15 miles from their starting point, this
would fall outside the definition of a long distance service and therefore a connecting service, and
instead be treated as a local public transport service for the purposes of a short distance add-on.
Article 2 also omits the definition of “working day” in the 2001 Order. This amendment is incidental
or supplemental and is intended to ensure that the definition of “working day” for the purposes of
the 2001 Order is consistent with that in section 59(1) of the Act.
Article 2 also amends the review requirements in the 2001 Order to ensure that the Secretary of State
is required to review the Order by 1 January 2031 and afterwards at five-year intervals.
A full Impact Assessment has not been prepared for this instrument as no adverse impact on business,
charities, voluntary bodies or the public sector is foreseen.
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