Bus Services After the Spending Review

Further written evidence from the Campaign for Better Transport (BUS 17a)

Campaign for Better Transport makes this contribution in addition to and not replacing our previous submission made to this inquiry dated December 2010. Since our original submission we have been able to obtain a clearer picture of the way that the reductions in local authority settlements are having an impact on funding for bus services across the country. Further, we wish to submit two pieces of research prepared by Campaign for Better Transport, evidencing the value of buses to society, to the economy and to the environment.

A national picture of cuts to local authority support for buses

Campaign for Better Transport has been tracking cuts to bus services and estimates that 70% of local authorities are already looking to buses as an area to make savings, with some councils planning to lose all their supported bus services and 13 councils proposing to reduce support by more than £1 million. This trend is expected to continue and worsen. Our interactive online map [1] is an endeavour to keep track of local authority proposals and decisions regarding buses and to make transparent the extent of the cuts on a national scale. This is a fast changing picture and we are soliciting information and data from a variety of sources.

Socially necessary services that are not commercially viable are, by definition, not busy profitable routes. They are disproportionately found in rural areas, or comprise of Sunday, evening or bank holiday services. Although on average just over 20% of buses receive local authority subsidies, in some rural areas the figure can be near to 100%. For example, Somerset county council’s head of highways and passenger transport Ioan Rees [2] estimated that all but 15-20 of the county’s 250 bus routes were subsidised in some form. Somerset have decided to cut more than 50% of bus funding and this is expected to result in a 50% reduction in council supported bus services.

Other examples include:

· Cambridgeshire has decided to phase out 100% of council-funded bus routes, and Northamptonshire and Hartlepool have made similar proposals.

· Areas including North Yorkshire and Buckinghamshire are looking to cut all council-funded evening and Sunday buses, and West Sussex has already decided to cut supported Sunday buses.

· Suffolk and The New Forest are among the councils proposing to axe their concessionary fare schemes for young people, and other authorities such as Somerset and Greater Manchester are also looking to cut back provision in this area.

Research demonstrates the value of buses

We have prepared two reports that examine the value of buses. Firstly our report Transport, Social Equality and Welfare to Work [3] was produced in conjunction with Citizens Advice and uses case studies from their b ureaux. The report shows that poor bus provision aggravates the problem of unemployment, and as a consequence puts greater pressure on the welfare budget. Secondly our report Buses Matter [4] looks more broadly at the combined social, economic and environmental value of buses, pulling together current data and research on the issue . These reports are included with this submission for your convenience.