Number of West Midlands bus journeys plummets as campaigners call for long-term funding

The Government introduced a £2 cap on all bus journeys outside London last year to encourage more people to travel by bus, with the scheme due to end on June 30.

Campaigners have welcomed the action but are urging the Government to implement long-term funding reform to help further.

It comes as several services operated by Diamond Bus in the Black Country are due to be axed, which has led to more than 4,000 people signing petitions.

The bus company is set to scrap its 002, 45 and 226 services from April 15, citing high running costs and a lack of usage with them being no longer viable.

The 002 route runs from Weoley Castle to Merry Hill, the 226 from Merry Hill to Dudley whilst the 45 goes between Walsall and West Bromwich.

Department for Transport figures show passengers took 174.8 million bus journeys in West Midlands in the year to March.

This was up from 100 million the year before – which was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic – but was down significantly on pre-pandemic levels.

In 2019-20, the last full year before the pandemic, West Midlands passengers took 248.4 million journeys.

Across England there were 2.8 billion bus journeys in 2021-22 – down from 4.1 billion in 2019-20.

A decade ago there were 4.6 billion journeys, and the number of trips has fallen every year since 2013-14 bar last year due to the pandemic.

The Campaign for Better Transport said the extension of the £2 bus fare cap and funding for key services is "very welcome and a great success".

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of the campaign group, said: "This will reassure communities across the country who are reliant on buses to access work, education, and healthcare.

"However, another extension only gets us so far. We are urging the Government to implement long-term funding reform to avoid more uncertainty and give everyone access to affordable and reliable bus services."

David Renard, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said the Government must use the time the funding buys "to work with councils and operators to develop a long-term, reformed bus funding model with significant new money".

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "Travelling by bus remains the most popular option for commuters and families across the country, but the sector is still trying to recover after the end of the pandemic.

"We’re providing £155 million to help passengers save money on fares, get more people on the bus and protect vital bus routes – helping with the cost of living and enabling people to get where they need to in an affordable and convenient way."