You’ll notice bus cuts when your neighbours lose their independence
The Campaign for Better Transport has published some alarming new research on cuts to supported bus services in England and Wales – those that receive funding from local authorities and often cover non-metropolitan or isolated routes.
Massive cuts of more than £27m are on the cards, and many isolated and rural areas will be left “with little or no bus services”. The campaigners have launched an interactive map to show exactly where the hatchet is falling.
As part of its work to try and protect the £345m grant given to bus operators by the Department for Transport, the Campaign for Better Transport has detailed the extent of the pummelling subsidised bus services have taken. The research shows that 63% of councils in England and Wales cut bus funding between 2015/2016 while 44% removed or withdrew services.
Since 2010, local authorities in England and Wales have cut £78m in total and more than 2,400 routes were reduced or withdrawn. In England a quarter has been slashed from subsidised bus budgets since 2010/2011 – a loss of £73.8m.
It’s not that councils want to cut back services. They know that access to affordable, regular, transport can help prevent the sort of loneliness and depression that sees vulnerable people turning to other (expensive) services, including health and social care. To say cutting bus services is a false economy is an understatement.
“Councils know how important buses are for their communities and local economies and are desperate to protect them,” says the Local Government Association’s spokesman for transport, Peter Box.
You may not need to use local public transport, but if you notice that your elderly neighbour is losing their independence because the bus they rely on has been stopped, maybe the seriousness of these public service cuts will hit home.