Labour would deliver the bus services Yorkshire needs - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh

Under the Conservatives, over the past decade bus services have been slashed across the country, fares have rocketed and passenger numbers have fallen.

A staggering 5,000 routes have been lost nationwide – almost a quarter of all services.

And places like Wakefield have been hit hard. They’ve seen routes across the area slashed, cutting communities off.

When Boris Johnson launched his bus strategy he promised “great bus services for everyone, everywhere.”

But like with so much else, you cannot believe a single word he says. Because swathes of the country in desperate need of better bus services were snubbed by the Tories in Westminster.

Many areas in Yorkshire from Hull to rural North Yorkshire and the towns and cities of South Yorkshire were left out altogether. And the truth is the Conservatives in Westminster want areas like ours to put up with these sky-high fares, and shockingly bad services.

This cannot go on. Because we know hundreds of thousands of people across our proud region use the buses every day, and they are desperate to see better services to connect to jobs, families and opportunity and tackle the climate crisis in the process. That’s why Labour are fighting for better.

Last week, West Yorkshire’s brilliant Mayor Tracy Brabin introduced £2 capped single bus fares, and she is investing in routes. For years those bus fares have risen, routes have been cut, and passengers have felt powerless. But Labour in power which Mayor’s like Tracy Brabin are turning the page on this decade of decline, and putting communities like Wakefield back at the heart of our public transport.

The vision of these Labour leaders across the north is simple: to build a world class service and make buses quicker, cheaper, greener and more reliable.

What our communities need is a government that matches the ambition of our local communities and local leaders.

Labour in government would never overlook the proud towns and cities which built this country. We would deliver prosperity, with a real plan to transform our public transport building on the work Labour are already doing in power.

People are ambitious for their hometowns, they want a vibrant local economy, thriving community networks and opportunities.

Labour would ensure that they had a government who backed those ambitions and supported them to make it a reality.