Transport bosses are warning that a third of Manchester’s bus services are at risk of being cut if sufficient funding is not provided.
About 30 routes could be affected if government grants do not continue past March.
With emergency COVID funding for transport services due to run out soon, Greater Manchester’s Transport Committee said the city region requires roughly £30 million in funding to “stabilise” the bus market, with another £40 million needed for Metrolink network in the next financial year.
Greater Manchester’s Transport Committee has urged the government to extend this financial support for bus and tram services, it has been reported by the BBC and LDRS.
In a statement highlighting the urgency of the matter, the chairman and vice chairmen of the committee warned that the day-to-day lives of people would be “adversely impacted” if the support comes to an end in April, adding: “We expect around one third of our bus services to be affected, with a wide-scale reduction in frequencies and around 30 routes withdrawn completely.”
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“If this were to happen, communities would be cut off,” they added.
“It would have a very significant impact on our economic recovery as a city region, and on our plans to be greener and fairer.
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About 30 routes could be affected if government grants do not continue past March / Credit: Unsplash (mangopearuk)
“We have been working for many years to build up and support local public transport services but there is significant risk that much of this hard work will be undone if funding is cut, or possibly removed altogether in just six weeks’ time.”
In response to the committee’s statement, a spokesperson for the Department for Transport (DfT) said: “We have provided over £1.7 billion to keep bus services running across the country throughout the pandemic, and are working closely with operators and local transport authorities to protect services after April.
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“The government has committed to investing £3bn into bus services by 2025, including £1.2 billion to improve fares, services and infrastructure, and a further £525 million for zero emission buses.”
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2022 
