Hundreds of bus routes across England face being slashed or axed if Tory ministers refuse to pledge new cash this week, northern mayors warn today.
Regional leaders sounded the alarm as a “cliff-edge” deadline for firms to end services looms.
The Bus Recovery Grant, which dished out more than £200m to keep services afloat due to Covid, was extended by six months but now ends on October 5.
Bus firms need to give six weeks’ notice to change or cancel a service - triggering fears a new wave of cuts will be announced in the next week.
West Yorkshire firms have already said they will axe 26 services without support, and another 25 will run no buses after 7pm, Labour mayor Tracy Brabin said.
Scroll down for a list of many of the key areas affected.
She has written to the Transport Secretary, Chancellor and Tory leadership contenders alongside the Labour mayors of South Yorkshire, North of Tyne and Liverpool City Region.
She warned: “These cuts will decimate our bus network, risk leaving people isolated and potentially unable to get to work or college.”
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said there were “days left for ministers to act to save bus services before operators pull the plug”.
The Urban Transport Group, which represents city regions, says there are plans to completely withdraw 51 routes in South Yorkshire - and only 10 services would run after 10pm in the whole region.
In the North East, direct links could be axed from large parts of Gateshead to the city’s only hospital, all evening bus services to parts of Sunderland would go, and some Newcastle suburbs would have no bus service at all.
In Greater Manchester, authorities have been warned 33 services would be withdrawn completely and 37 reduced in frequency or changed.
Liverpool City Region is negotiating over a string of proposed cuts, while West Midlands authorities say the extent of any cuts is still unclear as the region received extra funding for the Commonwealth Games.
Outside the big cities, bus routes are set to be cut in Somerset in a “travesty” that will leave some villages without a service.
And councillors in Kent have challenged plans to axe 38 council-subsidised routes in a bid to save £2.2m.
Ms Haigh said: “In a cost of living and climate crisis, slashing the buses millions rely on is sheer vandalism and will be a straightforward betrayal of the promises the Conservatives made.
“Ministers should get off their sun-loungers and act on this crisis.”
It comes despite Boris Johnson promising a “£3bn bus revolution” last year.
Ministers announced £1.2bn in April for 34 areas that applied for “bus service improvement plans” (BSIPs) - including Kent, Norfolk, Warrington, Somerset and West Berkshire.
But the 34 made up less than half of the 79 areas that were eligible and told to apply. Liverpool City Region got the cash - but asked for £667m and got £12.3m.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies today warns ministers must spend another £12bn on cost of living payments just to stand still.
Energy bills were expected to rise 95% in 2022/23, and are now expected to rise by 141%, the think tank said.
Out-of-work benefit claimants' real income is set to fall £620 over the course of the year, the think tank said.
IFS director Paul Johnson said: "The government is still playing catch up as inflation and the cost of energy continue to spiral upwards.
"Just achieving what they wanted to achieve back in May will cost an additional £12 billion, and a package on that scale will still leave many households much worse off.
"There are genuine and difficult trade-offs here... some clarity on strategy is urgently needed.”
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “We have committed to investing £3bn into bus services by 2025, to improve fares, services and infrastructure, and given nearly £2bn since March 2020 to bus operators and local authorities to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.
“To maximise this investment, local authorities and operators need to work together to ensure that services are commercially sustainable and reflect the needs of passengers post-pandemic.”
Areas where bus services face the axe include...
SOUTH YORKSHIRE: 69 routes face reduction or cancellation with 51 to be withdrawn completely, including 46 in Sheffield. Only 10 commercial services would run after 10pm from October. South Rotherham, Barnsley, Penistone, Maltby, Edlington and Braithwell all hit by service cuts.
WEST YORKSHIRE: First and Arriva spelt out plans to reduce or withdraw 100 routes, including 26 fully withdrawn and 25 with major evening reductions - most of them with no service after 7pm.
NORTH EAST: Cuts by all three operators have already happened in Newcastle, North Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and County Durham. Rescue package saved villages near Newcastle losing all buses but further cuts are feared.
LIVERPOOL CITY REGION: Plans to withdraw two routes, merge five, cut 16 during the day and cut 10 in the evening from September 4 were made less severe after negotiations.
GREATER MANCHESTER: 33 bus services faced being withdrawn and 37 would see cuts to frequency or route changes from October. However, city authorities insisted they had stepped in to save the services. (This section has been updated).
WEST MIDLANDS: Received extra funding to the end of December due to the Commonwealth Games so does not face the same cliff-edge in October, but bus services are feeling impact of fuel prices, inflation and passenger numbers still down by a fifth since Covid.
KENT: County council agreed to withdraw 38 subsidised routes over three months from July to save £2.2million.
NORTH SOMERSET: X2, X5 and 126 routes face being axed from October as the council deems them no longer commercially viable.
Source: Urban Transport Group and local media reports
