Hundreds of bus routes saved at 11th hour as Tories extend funding by six months

Hundreds of vital bus routes were saved at the 11th hour today as Tory ministers extended funding by six months.

Regional leaders had warned a “cliff-edge” deadline was looming this week for firms to end services before a post-Covid Bus Recovery Grant ran out on October 5.

But funds have now been extended again for six months to March 2023, costing £130million, in a victory for northern mayors.