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Ahead of a Westminster Debate on the state of bus services in rural areas, taking place on Wednesday 11 September 2024, the Countryside Alliance has published a briefing note which has been distributed to MPs.
Public transport is a lifeline for rural communities and those on low incomes that would otherwise be left isolated and cut off from vital services. An extensive, reliable public transport network is essential to connect the countryside to centres of population and economic activity.
Government statistics, as well as research from the Countryside Alliance, the Community Councils Network (CNN) and others, have demonstrated that rural bus services have declined throughout recent years, while the impact on rural populations has been on the increase. The CCN found that more than one in every four bus services had vanished in county areas over the past decade, as measured by vehicle miles. Between 2010-22, vehicle miles had reduced by 26.5% in these areas, a higher rate of decline than in London or the metropolitan borough council areas that cover cities and large towns. Interventions from central government to arrest this decline have proven inadequate.
The paucity of viable options for public transport in rural areas, including of bus services, results in a greater dependency on private transport, and this comes at a disproportionately high cost to rural dwellers.
Creating a fair deal for the countryside, connecting it fully to the modern United Kingdom, is a critical challenge facing the new government.
In our Rural Charter, a manifesto published ahead of the general election, we argued:
“As the anchors for key industries including food production, tourism and hospitality, rural communities are a cornerstone of our country’s way of life. Yet in too many ways they are being left behind. Creating a fair deal for the countryside, connecting it fully to the modern United Kingdom, is a critical challenge facing the next government.”
Public transport is a lifeline for rural communities and those on low incomes that would otherwise be left isolated and cut off from vital services. An extensive, reliable public transport network is essential to connect the countryside to centres of population and economic activity.
