People are being left isolated in their homes as more than 30m miles of bus journeys have been cut because of squeezed council budgets, a new analysis by Labour has found.
The party said those living in rural areas have been particularly badly hit, as the number of miles of bus services funded by local authorities has fallen by 17% compared with 2011. Overall, the length of bus services axed equate to travelling all the way around the world.
Michael Dugher, the shadow transport secretary, said vital rural routes subsidised by local authorities have been the first to suffer because of lower government funding.
He said bus services in England supported by public money have lost £139m in funding compared with 2010, and net government support per passenger journey has dropped from 53p in that year to 48p last year.
“Local bus services are the lifelines of our cities, towns and villages, getting people to work and keeping communities alive,” he said. “Under this government, local authority supported bus services, which keep vital rural routes going, have faced savage cuts. People are being left stranded by this government.”
Labour published the research as it launched a campaign to protect local bus services, which are particularly valued by older people and teenagers.
“The bus market is clearly broken and the way local services are provided is not fit for purpose,” Dugher said. “Labour would change that and hand cities and county regions greater control over local bus services. We will ensure people get the local transport system they need.”
The figures emerged just days after Labour research found meals on wheel services for older and vulnerable people have declined by 63% under the coalition. The research into services offered by English councils revealed there are an estimated 220,000 fewer meals being served to older people today than when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats came to power, with prices rising over that time by an average of £237 a year for those who receive the services every day.
