Bus services in a 'cycle of decline' after years of failure, watchdog warns
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that attempts to improve bus services and attract more passengers have been met by a string of failures by successive governments
Attempts to improve bus services and attract more passengers have been met by a catalogue of failures, a damning report found.
Service levels are worse and the number of users lower than they were before Covid, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. In a report published today the watchdog said rural and suburban services are in a "cycle of decline" with routes being cut.
The majority are run by private firms which set routes and timetables aiming to make a profit. But rising costs and decreasing commerical viability have seen revenues plummet.
A new Bus Services Bill, which is working its way through Parliament, will give councils more power to run their own services. But the NAO warned the Department for Transport (DfT) legislation could be "difficult and expensive".
Watchdog chief Gareth Davies said: "Bus travel should be an easy and reliable transport choice but governments' attempts to improve services have not always worked.
"DfT should work with local transport authorities and the bus sector to maximise the impact of the available resources in reversing the decline in bus usage."
The NAO said there had been failings by successive governments in recent years. Public funding to bus operators accounted for half their revenue in the last financial year, at £1.8 billion.
In February 2020, then-PM Boris Johnson pledged £3billion in funding over five years for buses. The following year the DfT published a national bus strategy for England, Bus Back Better with plans to run cheaper and more frequent services.
But data shows the total number of bus journeys in England outside London fell by 9% to 1.78 billion compared in the year to March 2024.
A DfT spokesman said: "Better buses are around the corner and are central to the Government's Plan for Change- connecting communities, strengthening the local economy, and boosting access to jobs.
"After decades of decline, we're providing a record £1 billion investment to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country.
"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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Archaeologists to uncover more of Roman town in Derby
A Roman town next to the River Derwent will be further uncovered through training digs for work will take place over three weeks in August at Darley Playing Fields in Little Chester, the oldest inhabited part of Derby which was once known as from York Archaeology, a charity which operates throughout the UK, will work on the project with amateur archaeologists, alongside Derby Davies, director of archaeology for York Archaeology, said: "As archaeologists this is a very exciting site to uncover as we start to peel back the layers on what life would have been like for civilians in Roman times." Mr Davies added: "This part of the settlement would have originally been established to service the soldiers garrisoned in Derventio, so we would expect to find evidence of pottery making and food production, as well as any items dropped or discarded by the local people whilst going about their day-to-day business."The team will focus on an area near Ryknield Street, a long-distance Roman road that crossed Derbyshire which can still be seen across Darley Playing Parker, community engagement manager at York Archaeology, said: "Quite a lot was uncovered during excavations between 2013 and 2016, so we're just hoping to expand on that knowledge."It is exciting because it will hopefully encourage people to learn more about a career in archaeology, as well as learning more about their local heritage."In past excavations, archaeologists uncovered a cobbled surface in the Parker added: "We're hoping that we can find more of it and understand it better and in the process potentially find more Roman artefacts that can tell the story of the area."Digging will begin in early August and Ms Parker will run free weekday tours of the site from 18 to 22 the city centre, Derby Museum & Art Gallery will host activities on Thursday afternoons in August linked to the 'ask the archaeologist' session will be available along with a mini dig and the chance to wash and identify some of the items recovered from the training dig.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Local bus services in England still declining despite investment
Local bus services in England have continued to decline despite attempts by successive governments to bolster investment in services, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. The spending watchdog found that efforts to revive routes and attract more passengers had so far failed, with a 15% fall in the total miles operated by buses outside London since 2019 and passenger numbers still 9% below pre-Covid levels. The audit office said that almost half (46%) of local authorities rated their own capacity to deliver services as poor or very poor, and warned that rising congestion was also diminishing passenger satisfaction with buses. While it said some of the improvements to buses from the £3bn promised by Boris Johnson's government had yet to come into effect, including some electric bus fleets, the NAO found that much of the money intended to enhance services was diverted into emergency Covid subsidies. It found that half of all bus operator income was now in the form of public subsidy – £1.8bn in 2023-24 – and questioned whether many routes would now be commercially viable. The report warned that routes in rural and suburban areas could face a 'cycle of decline', with services cut due to falling passengers, driving ever more people into using cars and off the public transport network. The decline comes in spite of efforts by the Department for Transport (DfT), which published a national strategy under Johnson in 2021, Bus Back Better, and now plans an overhaul under the Labour government's bus services bill. The legislation will give all local transport authorities new powers to run their own services. However, the NAO said the franchising model was 'difficult and expensive' for many authorities to adopt. Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: 'Bus travel should be an easy and reliable transport choice but governments' attempts to improve services have not always worked. DfT should work with local transport authorities and the bus sector to maximise the impact of the available resources in reversing the decline in bus usage.' Operators took issue with the NAO's claim that more routes were becoming commercially unviable. Graham Vidler, the chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: 'With a level of public investment still low by European standards, passenger numbers outside London grew by 15% last year and 83% of customers said they were satisfied. We do not recognise the description of an industry with weakening commercial viability.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Vidler concurred with the NAO that worsening traffic congestion, the pandemic and a long-term decline in public funding had hit bus travel, adding: 'More buses to more destinations with quick, reliable journey times should be front and centre of investment plans. The government must take steps to monitor delivery against those objectives nationwide.' Cllr Adam Hug, the 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 improvements … The government's plans for extra support for councils who want to take up franchising and a long-term funding commitment as set out in the spending review will help.' A DfT spokesperson said: 'After decades of decline, we're providing a record £1bn investment to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country.'
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Government told to set out plan to tackle ‘significant challenges' with T-levels
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called on the Government to set out its plan to tackle the 'significant challenges' that remain with rolling out post-16 T-level qualifications in England. T-levels have a 'critical role' to play in providing young people with the skills needed to address vital skills gaps across the economy, according to the report from the cross-party group of MPs. But it added that the 'success' and value for money of T-levels relies on increasing student numbers. The first T-levels were introduced in September 2020 to help meet the needs of industry and prepare students for work. The two-year courses, which are considered to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels, are being gradually rolled out in England. But the PAC report said only half of Year 9 to 11 students had heard of T-levels in 2023, and only a third of employers, who offer industry placements required to finish the T-level, are aware of them. The Department for Education's (DfE) latest forecast of 66,100 T-level starters in September 2029 is significantly more than the 25,508 students who started the qualification in September 2024, it added. The PAC also found that women and disadvantaged students are underrepresented in some T-level courses such as engineering. The MPs have called on the DfE to develop a structured plan, within six months, setting out its 'campaign approach' to increasing student awareness and enrolments in T-levels. The DfE should address how the curriculum can be tailored to appeal to a diverse student group while meeting employers' needs, they added. The PAC report warns that it has been 'unclear' to students, teachers and colleges how T-levels fit alongside other technical qualifications. It comes after the Government announced plans in December to scrap more than 200 vocational qualifications that had either no enrolments, or fewer than 100 per year over the last three years. As part of the review of post-16 qualifications, the Government said it will keep about 70% of vocational courses, including BTecs, which the previous Conservative administration had announced it would cut. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the committee, said: 'T-levels have the potential to be a significant force for good in equipping young people with everything they need for their burgeoning careers. 'But without the wider awareness in industry and critical mass of student enrolments, T-levels may remain very much a minority pursuit, when they could become a natural and enriching step in many students' lives.' He added: 'Government must enter campaign mode to inject life into T-Levels to build enrolments, focusing in and capitalising on local employment needs.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Through our Plan for Change, this government is cementing 120,000 new training opportunities for young people in key sectors such as construction, engineering, health & social care and digital, and we are encouraged by the strong growth in awareness, uptake and positive outcomes from T Levels. 'Our recent moves to slash red tape will help support T-Levels as a high-class vocational qualification, ensuring they provide a strong, hands-on experience for students, and high-quality training opportunities to build a workforce fit for the future. 'We will consider the recommendations of the PAC carefully, to help continue to increase the number of young people benefitting from these qualifications, and set out our response in due course.'
