The Campaign for Better Transport's Report on the funding of bus services begins....

"Buses are a vital form of public transport – for individuals,for the e onomy, for people’s health and for the environment --however, funding cuts over time have meant that local bus services have been in decline for years. Department for Transport data shows that in the ten years between 2011/12 and 2020/21, bus service provision across England (as measured in bus vehicle miles) declined
by 27 per cent (see Figure 1).1 This corresponds with data from the Traffic Commissioners showing that ‘live’ bus registrations have dropped from 16,913 in March 2012 to 12,067 in March 2021 – a loss of nearly 5,000 routes and a decline of 29 per cent