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THERE are just “10 days to act” to avoid bus services being slashed across England, Labour warns today.
The government’s current funding deal to keep services running despite the fall in demand sparked by the coronavirus pandemic expires at the end of March.
But operators planning to cancel or change routes are required to give six weeks’ notice, meaning they are keen for a new agreement to be secured by February 17.
Labour’s analysis, based on figures from the Confederation of Passenger Transport and published today, shows that more than 1,600 bus routes could be cut this spring, leaving England with fewer than 10,000 for the first time since records began in 2002.
More than 1,100 routes have been axed in the past year alone.
Labour is urging the government to give operators “the certainty they need” on the future of the bus recovery grant and to give communities more control over their bus routes and fares.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “The Conservatives are asleep at the wheel, risking the future of services [that] millions of passengers depend on.
“They have 10 days to act or services could plunge to a record low.
“After 13 years of the Conservatives, the bus services communities depend on are stumbling from one crisis to the next.”
Confederation chief executive Graham Vidler said: “Government support for bus services next year is set to be over 20 per cent lower in real terms than a decade previously.
“While operators and local authorities will work hard to protect vital services, a reduction of government funding in April could lead to a nationwide 10-15 per cent reduction in bus services.”
