Bus 'apocalypse' warning for South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire’s mayor says there’ll be a bus apocalypse, as the government withdraws its post-covid funding for buses.

Oliver Coppard says we'll see "the most damaging bus service cuts for a generation" as private sector bus companies begin removing one-third of the county’s bus network this month, axing less profitable routes.

He says that initially, “People in Sheffield and Rotherham will feel the brunt”.

The mayor’s asking the government for £85m over three years to keep services going.

Launching a bus strategy in the spring, the prime minister Boris Johnson said “better buses will be one of our first acts of levelling up” and his “reforms will make buses the transport of choice… improving quality of life for millions”.