UK government pushed to ‘come clean’ as decision on bus funding looms
Labour has urged the government to “come clean” on bus funding as operators prepare to slash services, with a critical moment for decisions over routes approaching on Wednesday.
Almost one in three services are at risk, the industry and local authorities have warned, with the Treasury refusing to confirm if it will continue grant funding to support operators whose bus revenues have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
The financial lifeline will otherwise expire on 5 April, meaning many operators – who normally must give six weeks’ notice to close a route – will decide this week which services remain viable.
Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said the situation could prove “devastating for the millions who depend on buses”, and called on the government to avert a looming crisis.
In a letter to the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, Haigh said routes could be axed just as passenger numbers begin to recover, “locking in declining services for years to come”.
She said Shapps should “come clean on wider long-term funding cuts” for the Bus Back Better strategy announced last year by Boris Johnson, which included £3bn to transform buses.
The improvement fund has been reduced to just over £1.2bn, with the government counting emergency support grants to the industry as part of the total figure.
Authorities around the country have warned of cuts. Greater Manchester councillors said on Friday evening, after talks with local operators, that they expected to see a widescale reduction in bus frequencies and about 30 routes withdrawn. They warned communities would be cut off, with a “very significant impact on our economic recovery”.
The Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents operators, said the situation was
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