Hundreds of bus services face cuts or the axe unless the Government extends vital grant, Northern Mayors say

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin is leading calls for the Government to again extend the Bus Service Recovery Grant, which was brought in to tide over companies amid falling passenger numbers during the pandemic, but is now due to end in early October.

The Government said it has given bus operators and councils nearly £2bn since March 2020, with the recovery grant extended for six months in the spring to give services time to recover.

Ms Brabin said they had already been notified by northern bus operators that they intend withdrawing hundreds of bus routes, leaving many areas without access to any form of public transport.

A letter, co-signed by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, and North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll, warns that a “large” number of routes will lose all services after 7pm in the evening, preventing many shift workers using bus services to travel to and from work.

It adds: “Over half of all bus routes will be affected in some form. And in some regions we are already seeing bus companies going out of business. Without action, the changes to bus provision will have a devastating effect on the communities affected, add to the cost-of-living crisis and will compromise the aims of the National Bus Strategy introduced just last year.”

Passengers in South Yorkshire face the loss of a third of the bus network this autumn, when the recovery grant ends.

Mr Coppard has warned that the taxpayer would have to stump up £11m to replace all the bus services earmarked to be cut by private operators from October. The Mayoral Combined Authority and councils have already had to provide more than £5m from the region’s emergency budget to protect school buses.

Many routes didn’t even get a bid from private operators when there was a tender process earlier this year.

Driver shortages have been a serious issue for months in many parts of the UK, while the number of passengers are still around 15 per cent below pre pandemic levels.

Ms Brabin said: “At a time when people face an extraordinary cost of living crisis, the reduction and withdrawal of bus services will seriously impact our communities, raising household bills with extra travel costs such as taxis. That’s why, as Northern Mayors, we’re standing together to demand Government extend this support.”

In West Yorkshire bus operators have notified the Mayor that without support they will withdraw 26 services. Another 25 routes will lose all services after 7pm. Analysis suggests over 100 local bus routes will be affected in some form.

A DfT spokesperson said:“We have committed to investing £3bn into bus services by 2025, to improve fares, services and infrastructure, and given nearly £2bn since March 2020 to bus operators and local authorities to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

“We continue to listen to the sector and work closely with operators and local transport authorities to support network planning, ensuring all possible steps are taken to protect services.

“To maximise this investment, local authorities and operators need to work together to ensure routes are commercially sustainable and reflect the needs of passengers post-pandemic.”