Council refutes bus cutback data

Hertfordshire County Council has hit back after government data showed that the county had the largest drop in bus mileage in England.

The data published by the Department for Transport showed that mileage had dropped 56.5% since 2017.

Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highways and Transport, claimed the government figures for 2016 and 2017 were wrong and that the reduction in the county was only about 39%.

"Covid has been the catalyst for the major reduction in bus mileage", said Cllr. Bibby.

"Lots of people don't feel comfortable going on buses now or they are working from home etc, so patronage has fallen," he said, "and there is also a massive driver shortage".

The County Council is trying to encourage "modal shift", in an effort to get people out of their cars and to use more sustainable forms of travel, such as cycling and public transport.