Financial pressures on councils have meant that local bus services have continued to decline despite Government intervention, a new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.

Bus services in England have not recovered to pre-Covid levels, with the total number of bus journeys down by 9% in 2023-24, compared to 2019-20, according to the NAO’s report.

Gaps in local authority capacity and capability is highlighted by the auditor as a ‘critical risk’ with councils reporting skills shortages and staff retention issues at a time when more responsibilities for buses are being devolved.

The NAO found that 46% of councils rated their capacity to deliver local transport ‘fairly poor’ or ‘very poor’.

Lack of Resources

Cllr Adam Hug, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: ‘As this report shows, a lack of resources for councils and funding for bus services has been holding back the improvements to the road network and bus services set out in Bus Service Improvement Plans, which will help undo the impact of Covid on passenger numbers and restore the benefits that better buses provide.’

The Bus Bill

A Department for Transport spokesperson said that ‘better buses are around the corner’.

‘After decades of decline, we’re providing a record £1bn investment to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country,’ they said.

‘Our landmark Bus Bill, now progressing through parliament, will protect routes and prevent services from being scrapped – putting buses back into local control and bringing passengers back to the heart of buses.’

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