West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has written to the UK government seeking extra funding to secure bus services during the region’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Analysis commissioned by WYCA suggested when emergency funding expires in March the gap between the cost of providing bus services in West Yorkshire and income will be £1.5m per week until passengers can return in greater numbers.
In a letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps, WYCA set out the actions it had taken in partnership with operators through the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance during the pandemic including maintaining services for key workers, providing capacity information at bus stops to support social distancing and providing bus and college transport.
It also put forward measures being taken that it believes will support the recovery of bus services including a new ‘Fare Deal’ for under-19s, a new MCard product for part-time commuters and the creation of an Enhanced Bus Partnership to strengthen local control.
The letter called on the government to use its forthcoming National Bus Strategy to streamline the process of creating an Enhanced Bus Partnership and support investment in low-emission vehicles.
It also asked for the delegation of funding to WYCA to build on the joint management of bus services with operators during the pandemic.
The letter said: “We are ready to meet the challenges of recovering a bus service during 2021 but we need assurance from Government that an effective funding mechanism will be in place which will protect our network during this process.
“Our bus operators have informed us that, if the recovery funding is insufficient, they will reduce services accordingly. Such action would put not only our bus service in jeopardy but our region’s economic recovery.”
The future of bus funding and implications for services in the region were discussed at a meeting of the WYCA transport committee on Friday 15 January 2021.
