South Yorkshire's buses covered 2.2 million more miles last year

More Sheffield bus fares are set to increase from tomorrow, as operator First South Yorkshire brings in their annual price rise.

But with England's bus mileage dwindling to its lowest level in more than three decades elsewhere, campaigners and council chiefs blame rising car use, congestion and cuts to transport funding for the millions of miles lost.

In South Yorkshire, buses clocked up 36.1 million miles in 2018-19, the latest statistics show – up seven per cent from the year before.

The local authority subsidised 10 per cent of these journeys last year, with the rest run by private companies for profit.

Buses covered 1.18 billion miles across England last year – the smallest coverage nationwide since 1986-87.

Outside of London, nearly 2 million fewer journeys were made by bus in 2018-19 than in the previous 12 months.

Alongside shrinking services, fares continued to rise in real terms.

Prices were hiked up 3.3 per cent on average across England last year.

People older than 65 and those with a disability are legally entitled to free bus passes for off-peak travel.

But with cash-strapped councils spending less and ditching discretionary items such as supported rural services, the Local Government Association warns that nearly half of the country's bus routes face the chop.

A spokesman for the association said more needs to be done to tackle the network's "spiralling decline".

"Councils also want to see a fully-funded concessionary bus fare scheme, which is putting nearly half of all bus routes at risk," he added.

"It is vital the new government properly funds this scheme so councils can protect bus routes and reinvest in local networks."

Darren Shirley, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: "With local authorities unable to support the less profitable, but socially necessary routes, these have been the first victims of cutbacks leaving many communities – especially in more rural areas – without a usable bus network."

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "This Government has committed to improving and expanding bus services and this is exactly what we intend to do."