Services in the North East and South Yorkshire are known to be at risk, but many more routes could be cut as the Covid grants that supported the routes during the pandemic expire. Bus operators usually have to give six weeks’ notice before cutting services and Covid recovery grants run out in early October. The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), which represents operators, said the coming week would be “critical” in reviewing what will continue to operate. The grants were introduced to help maintain routes that had lost passengers during the pandemic. They were extended in the spring for a further six months with £150m to head off fears of widespread cuts to services, but the Government has warned there will be no further funding. The Urban Transport Group (UTG), a network of city transport authorities, has highlighted “particularly drastic” cuts now expected in South Yorkshire, where 120 routes, one in three, are to be cut and 51 could be axed altogether. UTG director Jonathan Bray said: “Buses rely on the poorest in society without access to cars – if you’re talking about the cost of living crisis, this is another blow to those people who already have the least. “ Despite the end of emergency funding, the Government is in the process of awarding more than £1.1 billion to selected authorities under the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The controversial tender ultimately saw less than half of applicants receive BSIP funding, which cannot be used to maintain existing route networks. Bray said: “It’s a bit crazy to cut services and improve them, but that’s what we’re looking at.” Kent County Council last month warned it would have to cut dozens of routes, despite receiving £35 million in BSIP improvement funding. Tyne and Wear transport authority Nexus said around 100 buses a day have been taken off the roads since March and it expects further cuts. Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In Somerset, FirstGroup told passengers it would withdraw additional unviable routes. With fuel and staff costs escalating and support even lower, long-standing Bournemouth bus operator Yellow Buses collapsed into administration earlier this month. The majority of its routes were saved when Go-Ahead subsidiary MoreBus stepped in and hired many of its former drivers. However, not all passengers will be so lucky if the routes are hubs. Operating costs have escalated by about 20% since the start of the pandemic, according to CPT, while ridership remains 15% lower on average across the country. CPT chief executive Graham Vidler said: “Markets vary but it’s a big gap that needs to be addressed – that’s why we’re going through this review. It will be a difficult process. The next few weeks are critical.” Widler said the areas most affected would be those with more commuters or concessionary travel: “Many people only commute a few days and many elderly people seem reluctant to travel at all after being told to avoid public transport during Covid.” He said there would inevitably be “necessary and proportionate” cuts to bus networks due to new travel patterns, but warned the changes risked becoming far more damaging and widespread. “The government needs to step in – possibly by extending these Covid recovery grants.” Labor said the government’s £3bn ‘Bus Back Back Better’ strategy was in tatters, with the majority of funding eventually announced to be gobbled up by emergency Covid grants. Shadow transport secretary Louise Hay said: “In a cost of living and climate crisis, cutting the buses that millions rely on is pure vandalism and will be a direct betrayal of the promises made by the Conservatives. Communities at risk of abandonment need action, but this hapless government is lost.” A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We have committed to investing £3 billion in bus services by 2025, to improve fares, services and infrastructure, and have given almost £2 billion since March 2020 to bus operators and local authorities to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. “To maximize this investment, local authorities and agencies need to work together to ensure services are commercially viable and reflect passenger needs post-pandemic.”
