Cherished bus services still face the axe in the Bristol region despite a government U-turn to extend emergency covid cash for operators, metro mayor Dan Norris says. The Department for Transport announced on Friday, August 19, that it was giving a further £130million to continue propping up routes across the country for six months despite previously insisting the funding would end in October.
But West of England Labour mayor Mr Norris says it will not solve the chronic shortage of bus drivers overnight, so some under-threat services whose fares do not cover running costs will still be lost. Responding to the Government’s surprise decision to prolong its Bus Recovery Grant until the end of March 2023, he said: “I should warn people that even with this new cash, which of course I welcome, it doesn’t necessarily follow that cuts won’t happen.
“The huge, huge problem is and remains that there are just not enough bus drivers to drive the buses, and that will continue to be the case even with more funding. We are on to that, with campaigns to recruit drivers and then train them up, but it's not a short-term solution.
