Successive governments have failed to turn bus services around, watchdog says
Services have been reduced and passenger numbers are below pre-coronavirus levels, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said.
The study, which covers England outside London, warned that the sector's commercial viability has weakened as revenues have fallen and costs have risen.
It warned that rural and suburban areas face a 'cycle of decline' whereby services are withdrawn because of low demand, which leads to a further fall in passenger numbers and more cuts.
Most local bus services are run by private companies, who set routes and timetables aimed at making a profit.
Some services seen as socially necessary are financially supported by local transport authorities.
Public funding to bus operators accounted for half their revenue in 2023/24, at £1.8 billion.
In February 2020, then-Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson pledged £3 billion in funding over five years for buses.
The Department for Transport (DfT) published a national bus strategy for England, Bus Back Better, in March 2021, which set out that the department wanted services to be more frequent, cheaper and better integrated with other forms of transport.
The NAO said the total number of bus journeys made in the year to the end of March 2024 was 1.78 billion, down 9% from 1.96 billion in 2019/20.
Over the same period, the mileage covered by buses fell by 15%.
Following Labour's success in the July 2024 general election, the Bus Back Better strategy is no longer government policy.
The DfT's Bus Services Bill – which is at committee stage in the House of Commons – will lead to an overhaul of buses by giving all local transport authorities new powers to run their own services.
But the NAO noted that this franchising model is 'difficult and expensive' to adopt, and recommended that the department should better target the support it gives different local transport authorities depending on their needs.
Gareth Davies, 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.'
A DfT spokesperson 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.'
Graham Vidler, chief executive of industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said commercial operators 'delivered growth' in many towns and cities by investing in new routes, zero-emission buses and more frequent services.
He went on: '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.
'What's crucial going forward is that public funding delivers the outcomes that matter to passengers.
'More buses to more destinations with quick, reliable journey times should be front and centre of investment plans.'
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