More cuts to bus routes hit communities hard

Funding for supported buses has almost halved in the past eight years, leaving many areas without public transport, according to a study.

Local authority bus budgets in England and Wales were slashed by £20.5million last year – the eighth annual cut, said the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), with 199 bus routes altered or withdrawn. Steve Chambers, CBT public transport campaigner, said: “The slow death of the supported bus continues. Cuts to services mean many people no longer have access to public transport, with rural areas hit especially hard.”