Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has made service cutbacks as a result of having its budget reduced by 3% a year, the BBC has said.
More than 50 subsidised bus services in Greater Manchester have been withdrawn or reduced during the last year, which TfGM said was down to a reduction in funding. 22 services have been withdrawn since July 2014 with a further 29 reduced in some way.
TfGM said it was committed to protecting essential services within the limited budget available. The budget for supported bus services has been reduced by £7.1m during the last two years.
Savings are being achieved by removing the subsidies which commercial bus companies receive to run night buses, and by ‘rationalisation of existing services.’
TfGM is reportedly attempting to persuade operators to take on marginal commercial services and is redesigning services so ‘maximum value’ is obtained from subsidies.
Of Greater Manchester’s 950 bus services, 275 are subsidised by TfGM. From July 2014 to July 2015, TfGM pledged to continue 177 subsidised services with contracts either being extended or awarded to a different bus company.
Over the next 12 months a further 130 subsidised services will be up for renewal.
TfGM said: “We will continue to undertake a rigorous, case-by-case review of every bus journey we pay for.”
