Buses ‘least reliable’ in England - report

LOCAL buses in the county are the least reliable in England, new figures have revealed.

The Department for Transport has published new figures showing the punctuality of buses outside the main commuter routes.

The figures show how many “nonfrequent” buses - those on routes that get fewer than six buses an hour - arrive on time.

Buses that arrive more than six minutes late, or one minute early, are deemed to have missed the mark.

The data shows just 65 per cent of “non-frequent” buses in Leicestershire arrived on time in 2017/18.

That means more than one in every three buses were either early or late - the highest proportion in the country, and nearly twice as high as the national average.

Nationally, 83 per cent of all nonfrequent buses were on time, meaning one in six were not.

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “The crisis in bus services is alarming.

“Passenger numbers are plummeting, and fares are soaring as bus budgets have suffered a 45 per cent cut since 2010, leading to thousands of routes being cut or withdrawn altogether.

“This worsens congestion which in turn makes services less reliable -it’s a vicious circle.

“The solution is to improve local services by giving local authorities greater powers and more funding for congestion-busting infrastructure such as traffic lights that give buses priority.

“Labour will boost funding and will allow communities to bring buses under public control and start new publicly owned bus companies.

“This will allow us to bring back into our bus network the millions of pounds that are lost in dividend payouts to shareholders of private bus companies and put communities in control of local services.”

The situation in Leicestershire has worsened in recent years.

The 65 per cent of non-frequent buses that were on time in 2017/18 was down from 73 per cent in 2016/17, 77 per cent in 2015/16, and 78 per cent in 2014/15.

In comparison, the figure for England as a whole has stayed stable at 83 per cent for the last seven years.

The figures come at a time when local bus services are in a state of decline.

Local bus journeys in Leicestershire were at a record low in 2017/18.

The Campaign for Better Transport say that the fall in the number of passengers taking the bus is due to ongoing cuts in funding for these services, resulting in fewer services and higher fares.

Nationally, average local bus fares across England have increased by 12 per cent since 2009, after inflation.

Darren Shirley, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The statistics back up what our research has been showing for years - that buses are in crisis.

“Local bus services are vital, linking millions of us to jobs, education, shops and services, friends and family. They open up opportunities and help to fight loneliness.

“But buses up and down the country are being cut, severing these precious connections.

“What we need is a national bus strategy, backed by central government funding.

“Rail and roads, cycling and walking - all of these already have a national strategy. Why should buses be the poor relation?”

The Department for Transport figures show that the estimated net support paid by both central and local government for local bus services in the East Midlands has actually risen in the last year - although not to previous levels.

The total amount paid in 2017/18 came to £20.1 million - up from £19.1

million in 2016/17, but down from a peak of £40.3 million in 2010/11.

The figure is not adjusted for inflation, so the long term decrease in support is actually even steeper in real terms.