BUS funding cuts risk turning rural and suburban areas into “transport deserts,” campaigners have warned.

More than 500 routes were cut or reduced across England and Wales, with nearly £30 million slashed from local authority-supported bus funding in 2016/17, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) warns today.

The funding is for buses not provided by commercial operators, which serve communities with no alternative routes or extend the timetable into evenings or weekends.