Bus passengers in the West of England face extra service cuts from April, as the region's political leaders voted to stop subsidising 42 routes. The combined authority said high inflation meant cuts were inevitable, as the transport levy paid by councils increased by less than inflation, meaning a real terms cut.
Papers to the combined authority meeting gave a long list of services which could potentially be subsidised, and a shorter list of routes which will continue to receive subsidies. However, the long list also included services which already don’t exist at the moment, let alone after April.
The West of England initially sent out a press release after the meeting saying 27 buses would be axed — before later clarifying that 27 would be saved, and 42 would be axed. A list was then sent out of potential services facing withdrawal, which was "not double-checked for accuracy" and only included 36 services. A confirmed list was then sent out the following day.
