Under reforms in the Buses Bill, councils will be given more freedom to improve services and make bus travel more passenger friendly.
The changes will see councils presented with the choice to franchise services and enter into new partnerships with providers, and agree minimum standards for services, improving reliability and punctuality.
It is hoped that such changes will lead to standard ticketing rules which could pave the way for widespread Oyster-style schemes, which, alongside bus franchising powers, are like those used in London.