Tenth of bus services axed over past year

ALMOST one in ten bus services in Britain were axed last year, figures reveal.

An analysis of the Traffic Commissioners’ data found live registered bus services fell 9.5 per cent between January 2022 and 2023.

Cancellations to services or infrequently serviced bus routes have forced people in areas such as Sheffield, Bath, Lincoln or Stokeon-Trent to abandon medical appointments and jobs.

A decline in local services is severely affecting elderly customers in rural areas, who said they are trapped at home, unable to access healthcare or shops, and have given up socialising, the Guardian reported.

Department for Transport figures show the number of miles driven by local buses in England have fallen 27 per cent over ten years.

The Government’s bus recovery grant, an England-wide subsidy aimed at helping local bus services recover from the pandemic, will run out in April.

But the Department for Transport is reportedly reconsidering longterm support for the sector.