‘Staggering’ half of local bus routes axed since 2011 – with 2,000 in last year alone

MORE than 8,000 bus routes have closed since 2011, stats show.

The number of services has halved in the past 12 years, with 2,000 routes cut in the past year alone.

Bus passengers in the West Midlands bore the brunt of more than a decade’s worth of cuts, with two thirds of routes lost, according to Labour analysis of Traffic Commissioner figures.

It revealed there were 8,781 routes in operation last year, compared with 17,394 in 2011.

Labour has pledged to give local authorities more powers to choose routes and cut fares, as well as lifting the ban on new publicly owned bus companies.

Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said: “The staggering decline in local bus services under this Government is nothing short of vandalism against our communities.

“Millions of people rely on these essential services, but they are being left without a voice.”

The Department for Transport called the analysis misleading.

It said the Government has invested £3.5billion in buses since 2020. Roads minister Richard Holden said; “This is just another cynical attempt by Labour to distract the British people from their appalling record on public transport.”

He claimed that under the last Labour government bus fares rose more quickly than under the Conservatives.

Alice Ridley, of the Campaign for Better Transport, called on the Government to introduce a long-term funding pot for buses.