Insight
Which areas will be most affected by operators cancelling bus services?
By ITV News Consumer Producer Hannah Kings
Information given to ITV News shows that next month, 309 bus services around the country are being taken out of service by their current operators. Some of these services may be replaced with buses run by other companies, but not all will. Operators don’t have to state a reason for cancelling a service, but industry experts told us the decision is often made when a route is not judged to be commercially viable for the company that operates it. So, which areas are seeing most routes cancelled by the companies currently running them?
The West Midlands has most cancellations registered next month, with 202.
Lancashire is next, with 41 routes due to be taken out of service in April.
There are 22 routes registered for cancellation next month across Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.
In Scotland, there are 10 – including three in the Outer Hebrides.
Operators in Wales, Norfolk, Kent, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northumberland, Cumbria, Yorkshire and the East Midlands have also all registered cancellations of routes – with under 10 each.
A year ago, the government launched more funding for England’s buses outside London through the ‘National Bus Strategy’ – which makes money available for local authorities and operators to improve their networks.
Regions across the country have submitted bids for money from this fund, but the amount available falls billions short of the sum local authorities say is needed. Alison Edwards, from industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport, told us the initial fund is a step forward, but the bus network needs more government finance to avoid future cuts.
Coupled with this, she wants government to give “a really strong pro-bus message” to reassure people that buses are safe – after they warned of the dangers of public transport during the pandemic. In spite of promises of increased funding and calls for passengers to come back to the bus, our figures show that next month, more communities will be left feeling isolated when that precious last bus has gone.