Investment in bus services is urgently needed if councils are to
reduce car journeys, lower carbon emissions and help the UK work
towards its net zero goal by 2050 or earlier.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils in
England and Wales, says doubling the average occupancy of buses
could mean up to 12 fewer car journeys are required for every bus
journey.
The number of local bus passenger journeys in England in 2020/21
fell significantly by 2.5 billion or 61 per cent, largely due to
the COVID-19 pandemic, but even since 2004/05, bus mileage has
declined by 34 per cent in England outside London.
The LGA is calling on the Government to fully fund the
concessionary fares scheme, which provides free, off-peak travel
for elderly and disabled residents. At the moment the scheme is
underfunded by £700 million a year, leaving councils having to
reduce spending on discretionary concessionary fares and on wider
supported bus services to try and plug this gap.
Failure to fully fund the scheme risks leaving vulnerable
residents isolated and unsupported without access to routes,
particularly those in rural areas. Communities could also see
increased congestion and poorer air quality.
Additional funding for the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas
(ZEBRA) scheme was announced in the Spending Review, bringing the
total to £270 million in 2021/22. By plugging the concessionary
fares funding gap, councils would have even greater means to
invest in their existing schemes and pave the way to decarbonise
fleets.
Buses are the cornerstone of the
Government’s future plans to decarbonise the way we
travel, as set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and
also in the National Bus Strategy.
With nearly half of all bus routes in England currently receiving
partial or complete subsidies from councils, the LGA said
long-term government investment in bus services across all areas
would provide an opportunity to level up services for millions of
people and make buses a key solution in reducing transport
emissions.
Cllr David Renard, transport spokesperson for the LGA, said:
“The world is gathered for COP26 to look at ways in which we can
fight climate change and for the country to meet its net-zero
targets we cannot rely on electric vehicles alone. We need to
reduce car journeys and buses have the potential to be the
backbone of mass transit provision in this country.
“For years now there has been imbalance in the amount councils
are having to pay towards concessionary fares when you consider
the number of bus journeys being made, and this was highlighted
by the pandemic. We are calling for this £700 million a year
shortfall to be made up to allow councils to put this money to
better use in improving bus networks and increasing access to
routes and services for residents.
“Public transport, along with cycling and walking, is going to be
key as we look to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or
sooner, but with a drop of over 60 per cent in bus journeys, and
car journeys returning back to their pre-pandemic peak, it is
clear that more work has to be done to encourage less
carbon-intensive travel across the country.”
Ends
Notes to editors
Department for Transport – Annual bus statistics
2020/21
LGA at COP26
Domestic transport use by mode: Great Britain, since 1 March
2020
LGA – Decarbonising transport - The
role of buses
