Campaign for Better Transport responds to Labour’s bus cut figures  

7 February 2023

“The Government has been good at supporting bus services since the pandemic, but it is in danger of throwing all that away if further support is not forthcoming. I think the Government is actually aware of the problems facing buses and is planning to do something to support the industry past March, but it needs to get on with it before any further services are lost.”

With the Government’s covid recovery funding for bus services set to finish at the end of March – at the same time as the current £2 bus fare cap incentive – the sustainable transport charity is urging the Government to step in with more financial support for buses.

To prevent further cuts, boost passenger numbers and help improve services in the long term, Campaign for Better Transport is calling for:

• A three-month extension of the £2 bus fare cap which ends on 31 March
• All local authority bus funding ringfenced so it cannot be spent on other public services
• The Department for Transport to be responsible for all local authority bus funding, rather than shared with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• One long-term funding pot for buses, rather than the current fragmented and competitive system of funding which disadvantages some areas of the country.

ENDS

For further information please contact the press office on 07984 773 468 (calls only no texts) or communications@bettertransport.org.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The Department for Transport’s Annual Bus Statistics year ending March 2022 can be found here.
2. Campaign for Better Transport’s previous research revealed one in four bus services had been cut in England in the last decade.
3. The Government extended its Bus Recovery Grant until 31 March 2023.
4. The £2 bus fare cap is a Government incentive scheme to help passengers with the cost of living and caps a single bus journey at £2 until the end of March.
5. The Department for Transport is responsible for transport funding, but some local authority bus funding is allocated by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Despite being allocated to provide supported bus services, it is not ringfenced and as such can be spent on other local authority services instead.
6. Campaign for Better Transport analysis highlighted how the competitive nature of Government funding for local transport is disadvantaging rural local authorities and failing rural communities. Read the analysis here.
7. The Government’s national strategy to improve bus services, Bus Back Better, was published in March 2021.
8. Campaign for Better Transport operates in England and Wales. Campaign for Better Transport’s vision is for all communities to have access to high quality, sustainable transport that meets their needs, improves quality of life and protects the environment. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).