MORE than 8,000 bus routes have closed since 2011, stats show.
The number of services has halved in the past 12 years, with 2,000 routes cut in the past year alone.
Bus passengers in the West Midlands bore the brunt of more than a decade’s worth of cuts, with two thirds of routes lost, according to Labour analysis of Traffic Commissioner figures.
It revealed there were 8,781 routes in operation last year, compared with 17,394 in 2011.
Labour has pledged to give local authorities more powers to choose routes and cut fares, as well as lifting the ban on new publicly owned bus companies.