Campaign for Better Transport research has revealed that bus services in the South West have declined by 29% in the last decade, with the pandemic having a devastating effect.

The transport charity is calling for a national, Government-led campaign to encourage people back on board and turn around the fortune of buses.

Across England as a whole:

Campaign for Better Transport's research shows that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of bus services in England (as measured by vehicle miles) have vanished in the last decade

The number of bus services (as measured by 'live' bus registrations) dropped from 16,913 in March 2012, to 12,067 in March 2021 – a decline of 29 per cent across England

The biggest drop has been as a result of the pandemic: in the eight years between 2011/12-2018/19, bus vehicle miles in England dropped by ten per cent, whereas in the two years between March 2019 and March 2021, they fell by almost double that (18 per cent)

The regions with the biggest declines are the North West and the East of England, both losing 38 per cent of services, followed by the East Midlands with a 35 per cent loss.

"Buses are relied upon by millions of people and should play a central role in a green transport future, but they have been struggling for some time, and the pandemic has made things much worse. The Government must recognise the need for a national campaign to attract passengers back to public transport."

Given the strong Government messaging in the early part of the pandemic to avoid public transport, the charity believes that there is a segment of the public that will not return until the government overtly tells them it is safe to do so. The Government campaign should be accompanied by fare incentives and offers to encourage people back on board.

The charity contrasted last week's 5p cut in fuel duty in the UK with moves to cut public transport fares in countries such as New Zealand and Germany.

Mr Tuohy added: "Last week's Spring Statement included a tax break for car drivers with a 5p cut in fuel duty, but nothing for public transport users, despite fares having risen at a far higher rate than fuel. The Government says it wants people to use public transport more and drive less, but its failure to provide any financial incentives for bus users makes a mockery of its levelling up and carbon reduction ambitions."

On the same day as this report :

News that over £100m of investment for buses will come to the West of England after a successful bid led by Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

The £105.5m coming to the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council is the second highest funding award in the whole of the country. Liverpool have won £12m while neighbouring Somerset county council got £11.9 million.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris who is responsible for regional transport said:

"I'm delighted for the people of the West of England. This is another vote of confidence in our amazing region. The money will build on the half a billion we have already secured since last May. It sounds like a lot of money - and it is. Sadly this isn't cash I am allowed to spend to save individual bus routes. What we can do is make sure buses don't get stuck in so many traffic jams with measures to speed them through congestion, improve the quality of buses, and make it easier and more convenient to buy a ticket.

"This is a good day for the west of England and a step on the road to give local people the public transport services they need and deserve. But this can only be the start. We need to lever in even more resources if we really want to get as many people as possible out of cars and into public transport which is key to meeting our ambitious net zero targets."