TRANSPORT campaigners are continuing to press the government for fairer funding for bus services.

The Rural Services Network was among a coalition of organisations calling for urgent government action in the Budget to end the crisis in funding for buses.

Led by the Campaign for Better Transport, the group had called for an urgent review of funding for bus services in England in a bid to stem the loss of local routes.

But it was not to be.

The Campaign for Better Transport responded after Chancellor George Osborne delivered his budget statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday (19 March).

Campaign chief executive Stephen Joseph said: "The Chancellor has done little to reduce the everyday cost of transport which remains one of the biggest costs faced by households.

A £20m tax break granted by Mr Osborne to bingo halls would be better spent reversing the planned cuts to bus services this year, said Mr Joseph.

Likewise, extra money to tackle potholes was welcome, but this was a drop in the ocean against the £10bn backlog to local road repairs.

"These are the issues that matters to people rather than big road building."

The campaign wants emergency funding put in place to ensure that jobseekers, isolated people, and economic growth are not disadvantaged by the pressures on local authority finance.

It also wants the government to carry out a comprehensive and prompt review of bus funding that takes into account the vital role buses play economically, socially and environmentally.

Buses have seen year on year reductions in funding from local authorities.

In December, Campaign for Better Transport published Buses in Crisis whose findings included 46% of local authorities cutting support for buses in 2013.

The joint letter which has been signed by a broad coalition of 28 charities, trade unions and think tanks.

Local authorities say they have no choice but to reduce support for bus services because of government funding cuts.