New research reveals that supported bus services have been hit hard by funding cuts with over 500 routes completely withdrawn or reduced across England and Wales in 2016/17.
The ‘Buses in Crisis’ research by Campaign for Better Transport shows that nearly £30m has been cut from local authority supported bus funding in the last financial year, an 11% reduction in England and 7% in Wales, compared with 2015/16.
The research also shows that since 2010 over £100m, 33%, has been cut from local authority bus funding and 2,900 bus services have suffered cut backs and withdrawals resulting in huge disruptions for communities.
Lianna Etkind, Public Transport Campaigner, Campaign for Better Transport said: “As our research shows, buses across the country have been hit hard by funding cuts. Year on year we are seeing more bus services lost, with some local authorities stopping supporting buses altogether.
“These cuts come on the top of cuts to school transport and the underfunding of free pensioner travel; together these threaten the viability of whole bus networks and will lead to ‘transport deserts’ in some rural and suburban areas where there is no public transport at all.
"This decline is not inevitable though. With the Bus Services Bill currently going through Parliament, there is hope that powers in the bill will help local authorities to better plan and set standards for their bus networks, improving people's access to jobs, services and education.
“We urge the Government to ensure that all local authorities have the full range of powers at their disposal; and to put in place a plan to ensure buses have the funding they need.
“The Government needs to understand the vital role buses play in the economy, the environment and to wider society and to commit to protecting bus services, not just in towns and cities but in rural areas as well.”
Some key findings from The ‘Buses in Crisis’ research:
– 66% of local authorities have reduced their spend on supported bus provision this year
– 10 councils around England and Wales already had no supported bus services at all as of 2016/17: Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Cumbria, Stoke on Trent, Luton, Southend on Sea, Cardiff, Neath Port Talbot, Wrexham
– An additional four councils, Middlesbrough, Lancashire, Isle of Wight and Torbay Borough have made 100 per cent cuts to bus subsidies in the financial year 2016/17
– Lancashire County Council initiated the biggest cut this year, officially cutting their entire bus support budget, £7m, while maintaining £2m of Community Transport budget
– The biggest proportional cuts following Lancashire are Central Bedfordshire, 64.48%, Derbyshire, 54.72% and Portsmouth City, 54.5%
– The North West is the region that has seen the highest bus cuts this year, with an average reduction in bus spending of 15%.
Supported buses are services that are subsidised by local authorities because they are not provided by commercial bus companies.
They serve communities where no alternative route exists, meaning that any cut or alteration can often have a huge impact on residents and local economies.
They also provide services in evenings and at weekends when otherwise services would cease.
These subsidised or supported services represent 22% of bus provision in England.
This percentage varies considerably across the country, ranging from just 5% in some urban areas to almost 100% in some rural areas
Report at: http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/buses-crisis-2017
