Bus mileage in England remains 11% below pre-pandemic levels, new figures show, as local authorities face severe funding pressures.
The total distance travelled by buses in the year to the end of March was 1.01 billion miles, according to a Department for Transport (DfT) report.
That was broadly similar to the previous 12 months but is down 11% from 1.14 billion miles in 2019/20, which was largely before the coronavirus crisis, and 22% down from 1.29 billion miles a decade earlier.
Some 3.63 billion passenger journeys were made in the year to the end of March, up 7% from 3.38 billion in the previous 12 months.
But the total remains 10% below the 4.05 billion in 2019/20 and 22% down from the 4.67 billion in 2013/14.
The report shows that people with the lowest incomes made two-and-a-half times more bus trips than the highest earners last year.
Separate inflation figures from the Office for National Statistics show bus and coach fares in the first three months of 2024 were six times higher than the same period in 1987.
That is compared with a five-fold rise in train fares while motoring costs are around three-and-a-half times higher.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in October that the cap on single bus fares in England will rise from £2 to £3 from January 1.
Funding for bus services comes from many different pots of money, including some available for operators and others set aside for local authorities.
Pressure group Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) issued a report earlier this month warning that the system results in some councils receiving “very little funding” for buses.
It urged the Government to change the funding system by providing all local authorities with a single, long-term pot to improve services.
CBT director of policy and campaigns Silviya Barrett said: “It’s encouraging that once again we’re seeing more people take the bus, helped by the £2 bus fare cap making bus travel more affordable in the past year.
“But to truly see more people using buses more frequently, we need to see a boost to service provision and frequency too.
“We urge Government to introduce a bus service guarantee in the forthcoming Better Buses Bill, to define a minimum level of bus services in every community and ensure that local authorities have the necessary long-term funding to deliver them.”
Adam Hug, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “It is encouraging to see passenger numbers increasing, as these figures prove, and councils want to go even further to get more people back on board.
“Local investment and partnership working, supported by the bus fare cap scheme and extra funding, has encouraged an increase in bus journeys and sustained many routes.
“Streamlining the current labyrinth of bus funding into a single, long-term, devolved pot would give councils greater control and spending power over where buses can go and get the most out of every valuable pound.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “The biggest barrier to people taking the bus is not having reliable and frequent services in place.
“That’s why we’re investing over £1 billion to make real improvements to services, keep fares affordable and improve reliability.
“The incoming Bus Bill will revolutionise bus travel by handing back control of services to local authorities so they can design a network that works for passengers.”
