Better Transport

26 February 2013: The Government today set out more details of its Better Bus Areas fund. We're all for better transport so we welcome the new fund but it mustn't be a missed opportunity.

12 December 2012: We've just published new research showing that 40% of councils are making further cuts to funding for bus services, after deep cuts last year.

The Government is giving councils more control over funding for buses. The change mustn't mean passengers lose out.

17 September 2012: We welcome the recommendation of the last Transport Committee report

23 May: There’s growing outrage in Lancaster as bus information for passengers is being whittled away.

14 May: The Equalities and Human Rights Commission today criticised Treasury ministers for failing to be clear on how they had fulfilled their equality duties when they cut funding for buses in the 2010 spending review.

26 March: There are thousands of parish, borough and town councils up and down the country, and there are millions of bus users in market towns and rural villages who are being hit hard by devastating bus cuts. But what can these councils do, if anything, to help?

26 March: We welcome the announcement that Norman Baker will be giving some extra money to buses; but the Government has a long way to go to avoid a funding crisis.

14 March: We have written a joint letter with the Association of Transport Coordinating Officers to George Osborne calling for urgent action to fill the £60 million funding hole in the bus pass scheme.

25 January: With just 3 months warning the Welsh Government has announced this week a 25% cut to the Bus Service Operator Grant from April 1st 2012.

24 January: We forced Cambridgeshire to freeze bus cuts and go back to the drawing board. But after a full consultation, is the new plan any better? And what lessons can other Councils learn?

9 December: Norman Baker has announced new funding for buses. It’s a good start, but it comes in the wake of severe and continuing cuts to services.

18 November: A bus user left stranded by cuts speaks out in the BBC East Midland documentary broadcast earlier this week.

15 November: Last night, at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership awards, our Save our Buses campaign won runner up for ‘Low carbon initiative 2011’ and our CEO Stephen Joseph won ‘Outstanding individual in promoting low carbon transport’. A big thanks to all our supporters and local campaigners; we could not have done it without you.

07 November: Congestion during the school rush hour already causes havoc in many communities, and is set to get worse as many councils plan cuts to school buses.

13 October: We have been busy collecting data on local authority bus cut decisions, using the Freedom of Information Act, and we can reveal that council cuts to bus budgets totalling £36m have resulted in more than 1000 (1114) service cuts.

05 October: From the banks of Merseyside to the bustling city centre of Manchester, our campaign bus has been met by huge public support wherever it parks up.

22 September: Is your community being left with no public transport?  Were you consulted before your bus was cut? Have vulnerable people been left stranded?

21 September: With flyers, a loadhailer and a banner that was literally the size of a double decker bus, we hit the Liberal Democrat party conference in Birmingham with some good old fashioned campaigning.

21 September: Are you losing your local bus? Do you want to fight to get it back? Order your Save Our Buses campaign pack here!

7 September: Yesterday campaigners by the bus load travelled to the Houses of Parliament to challenge Norman Baker, Minister for buses.

31 August:  New figures show that one in five big city buses could be gone by 2014, at a cost of £68 million to the economy as our roads become more congested.

31 August: The 50% coach concession for elderly and disabled passengers is the latest victim of government cuts to public transport. The decision could tip a number of coach routes into decline and closure, especially in rural and disadvantaged areas.

18 August: Ever wanted to put your concerns direct to the Minister for buses? Well here is your chance. With a FREE vintage bus journey to London thrown in!

15 August: After listening to evidence from bus companies, councils, campaigners and bus users this group of MPs have published their report Bus Services After the Spending Review.

2 August: We want to give bus passengers a platform to tell MPs exactly how important buses are to them. So we are taking a double decker campaign bus to the party conferences.  Get on board and have your voice heard!

2 August: We are pleased that at least two councils are trying new ways of tendering bus services. This could mean savings are made while passengers are protected.

4 July: MPs are there to represent their constituents, and as the bus cuts start to bite it’s time to turn up the pressure.

28 June: Save Our Buses is celebrating the news that the Council will review their decision to cut 100% of support for buses.

23 June: There is so much doom and gloom for buses at the moment I thought I would take a moment to celebrate good news.  Read on for some silver lining stories.

2 June: Today a delegation of young bus users delivered a protest video to the Department of Education, calling for more to be done to support public transport options for young people. Their message is clear: young people want buses to be a positive transport option now and into the future.

1 June: Big change in the bus world has been off the table since Jan 2010 while everyone has been waiting for the Competition Commission to finish their review of the industry.

May 11: A Cambridgeshire bus user is taking legal action to hold her council to account over bus cuts. Her message is clear; with budgets tightening across the country it’s more important than ever that impact assessments and consultations don’t end up as an afterthought or a hollow tick box exercise. 

4 May: If you are a young person and you want to talk about why buses are important to you or what you want bus services to be like in the future, now is the chance to get your voice heard.

13 April: The Secretary of State for Transport says he welcomes our Save Our Buses campaign, and says that disproportionate decisions made by some local authorities are ‘disappointing’.

7 April: Evidence to the transport select committee has revealed that community transport cannot be expected to fill the gap left by swingeing bus cuts.

8 March: The future of buses depends on real vision and political will; where it's not there we will have to cultivate it.

21 February: From real ale drinkers to school children and ramblers; 28 organisations come together to speak up for buses!

17 February:  What a couple of weeks it has been. Since the launch of the campaign on the 3rd February we have had a huge amount of interest from the media, from other charitable organisations and from the public.

28 January: Do buses matter?

6 January: Squeezed local authorities across the country are looking to buses to make short term savings at the expense of lifeline bus services.

25 November: Dark clouds are gathering as free bus passes are the latest target for spending cuts.

4 November: Here’s a bit of good news for once: First is going to reverse some of its bus cuts, and Birmingham is getting a smartcard.

18 October: Our latest report, in conjunction with Citizens Advice, shows that cuts to bus services would scupper the Government’s plans to reform the welfare system.

17 September: Funding for London’s bus network is under threat, and this week I spoke at a union rally outside city hall in defense of the capital’s buses.

16 July: Free bus passes have enabled millions of older people to retain their independence. But they only work if there are buses to use them on.

12 July: The Department for Transport will this week submit their bid to the Treasury for what they want to fund over the next three years. There are plenty of powerful lobbies arguing for billions to be spent on building new roads, but the voice of bus users must be heard.

10 June: The Government has announced plans for reducing local authority grants and it's bad news for public transport.

2 June: Have you ever turned up at a bus stop only to find out the service has been cut? We've told the Government that passengers and local authorities need more warning when changes are made.

26 May: The successful Wiltshire Taxibuzz evening service is due to be cut this Friday unless campaigners can prevent it.

24 May: The Chancellor George Osborne has announced cuts of £6.2 billion, with £683 million coming from the Department for Transport.

26 April: Later today, bus campaigners are hitting the streets in Devizes to stop the council from cutting a service that people need.

20 January: If you've ever thought that buses in your area could be better, now is the time to make it happen.

29 October: We've told the Government that Londoners shouldn't be the only ones to benefit from Oyster cards.

16 October: The Office of Fair Trading is planning to refer the bus market to the Competition Commission. We've told them this is a bad idea because it will make it harder for local authorities and bus companies to work together to improve things for passengers.

16 October: We've responded to an inquiry on light rail with suggestions for how we can get more trams in UK cities.

15 October: The Mayor of London's plans to increase bus and tube fares and cut services show where his priorities really lie.

8 October: Passenger Focus is going to be the new watchdog for bus passengers, but it won't be able to stand up for them unless the Government rethinks its plans.

7 October: We want to make sure that local authorities can regulate buses where this is needed to improve things for passengers. 

17 September: Local authorities have new powers they can use to improve buses, thanks to the Local Transport Act. But we're worried passengers will miss out because they're too scared to use them.

20 August: We recently ran a competition to find the most expensive bus fare in the country. But why are bus fares so high?

20 July: If you visit many European cities, you will see quiet, clean, frequent trams instead of cars hooting at each other. But in this country, we only have a few trams because Government guidance makes it very hard to introduce them.

10 July: Is your local bus fare the highest in the country?

8 July: We've been saying for some time that people in isolated rural areas need better public transport. Now we're delighted to see the Tories pick up one of our ideas.

3 July: We've argued that the Government should provide funding for low-carbon buses, so we're glad it has decided to help bus companies and local authorities to buy several hundred of them.

11 June: A tram scheme in Nottinghamshire is under threat because the newly elected Conservative councillors want to cut the Council's funding for it.

8 May: The Independent has publicised a fact we've been highlighting for some time now: since Labour came to power, public transport fares have risen while the cost of motoring has fallen, undermining attempts to cut carbon emissions.

22 April: Today we are celebrating the launch of the new statutory bus passenger watchdog that we campaigned for.