A third of bus services are at risk of being cut in the coming weeks, Labour warns today.
Operators have until Wednesday to give six weeks’ notice of axing routes from April 6, when their Covid bus recovery funding ends.
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh fears the cash cut-off has created a “cliff-edge” where under-used services will be slashed.
She has written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, urging him to “act on the immediate crisis” and give “clarity on the status of emergency funding”.
Her letter, seen by the Mirror, says: “These cuts would be devastating for the millions of passengers who depend on buses.” She adds the move is a betrayal as the Tories had promised “transformational” investment.
Bus use outside London is in decline.
In 2010/11, 2.3 billion journeys were taken outside the capital, a figure that dwindled to 1.9 billion by 2019/20.
Research cited by Labour shows the number at 1.8 billion by 2023/24, a 22% drop in 13 years.
Working from home and hybrid working has also cast doubt on the long-term future of some services.
The Department for Transport said: “We have provided over £1.7billion to keep bus services throughout the pandemic, and are working closely with operators and local transport authorities to protect services after April.”
It said the Government had allocated £3bn to spend on bus services by 2025, including £525million for zero-emission buses.
