The Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption) (Amendment) Order 2025
Source: legislation.gov.uk (2025-12-02)

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order under section 6 of the Competition Act 1998 (c. 41) (“the Act”), which gives effect to the recommendation originally made by the Director General of Fair Trading that public transport ticketing schemes (as defined in the 2001 Order) for local transport services constitute a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.

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 (\"#f00001\")) (“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 (\"#f00002\")) 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 (\"#f00003\")), has recommended that the Secretary of State vary that Order(4 (\"#f00004\")).

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.

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

Department for Business and Trade

25th November 2025

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 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2001/319\")) (“the 2001 Order”). The 2001 Order is a block exemption order under section 6 of the Competition Act 1998 (c. 41) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1998/41\") (“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 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/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.

(1)

1998 c. 41 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/1998/41\"). Section 8(1) was amended by paragraph 38(7) of Schedule 25 to the Enterprise Act 2002 (c. 40) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2002/40\") and paragraph 3 of Schedule 5 to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (c. 24) (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2013/24\").

(2)

S.I. 2001/319 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2001/319\"), amended by S.I. 2005/3347 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2005/3347\"), 2011/227 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2011/227\"), 2014/549 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2014/549\"), 2016/126 (\"http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/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 (\"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.