MPs Call For Urgent Action To Reverse Bus Service Decline

The Transport Committee has warned that bus services in England have suffered a decade of decline, leaving many communities — particularly in smaller towns, coastal areas, and the countryside — increasingly cut off from jobs, education, healthcare, and social opportunities.

Its new report, Buses Connecting Communities, calls on Government to reform the way local bus services are funded, adopt a national ambition for a minimum level of public transport connectivity, and consider adding a dedicated rural weighting to the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding formula to reflect higher per-passenger costs in low-density areas.

Evidence to the inquiry showed that some communities have lost their regular bus services entirely, while others face such infrequent or unreliable provision that they fail to meet local needs. The Committee cites figures showing bus journeys in England outside London have fallen from 4.6 billion in 2009 to 3.6 billion in 2024 — a drop of 21.7% — with areas covered by county and unitary councils seeing an 18% fall in services between 2019 and 2024.

The Committee heard evidence from the Rural Services Network that without long-term, fairer funding — and a recognition of the structural challenges of running rural services — ambitions to improve provision risk being undermined by “geographic disadvantage”.

Key recommendations include:

• Setting a minimum service level for all communities by the end of this Parliament (2028–29), supported by long-term funding and evidence-led guidance based on settlement type.
• Moving to five-year capital and revenue funding settlements for bus services, as in the rail and strategic road sectors.
• Considering a rural weighting in the BSIP funding formula to reflect higher per-passenger costs and longer journey distances in rural areas.
• Reforming the Bus Service Operators Grant so that it incentivises ridership growth, including in under-served areas, rather than being based on fuel use.
• Ring-fencing funding for socially necessary services, with operators in Enhanced Partnerships required to commit to minimum provision on those routes.

Rural-specific recommendations from the report:

• Ensure the BSIP funding formula explicitly reflects the structural challenges faced by rural and more isolated areas — including longer journey distances, higher per-passenger costs, and lower population density.
• Reform the Bus Service Operators Grant so rural services are not disadvantaged by a fuel-based formula, which currently results in lower support for longer routes with lower fuel use per kilometre.
• Provide ring-fenced funding for socially necessary rural services to protect vital connections where commercial viability is low.
• Recognise that passenger numbers alone should not dictate rural service provision, and factor in the inherent social value of transport to rural residents. 

Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury MP: "Buses are fundamental to many people’s quality of life. Without them, residents on low incomes, older and younger people face social exclusion or being cut off from employment and services. In many areas that is tragically already the case". Photo credit: ©House of Commons/Laurie Noble

Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network: "This report underlines exactly what our Delivering for All campaign has been saying: rural transport is not a ‘nice to have’ — it is essential infrastructure. Without fair, long-term funding that reflects the real costs of running rural services, communities will remain disconnected and opportunities lost.  Every person, in every place, deserves access to reliable, affordable transport — and that means Government must commit to fair, consistent provision across all communities".

Read the full report here

If you’re interested in the future of rural transport and how we can deliver better connectivity for all communities, join us at the National Rural Conference on Thursday 18 September for our dedicated Rural Transport session. Find out more here.