Bus coverage in Derbyshire has fallen by a quarter over last decade

It comes as bus services across England have been cut severely over the same time period. The Campaign for Better Transport said declining bus provision is "disappointing" and called for a long-term funding strategy.

Department for Education figures show bus companies in Derbyshire provided 12.2 million miles of services in the year to March – up from 12 million the year before. But in 2012-13, 16.4 million miles were provided, meaning bus coverage has been cut by 26% over the last decade. Nationally, the total length of bus routes has fallen by 21%, from 1.3 billion miles in 2012-13 to 1 billion last year.

Silviya Barrett, director of policy and research at the Campaign for Better Transport, said declining bus provision is "disappointing". She said: "We hope that recent funding allocations will reverse this trend and we will see an increase, as we have with local authority-supported services. But ultimately the way buses are funded must change – a long-term strategy is needed to ensure all regions have a decent level of bus provision and no place is left behind."

The figures also show people across the country are returning to buses, but fewer journeys are being taken than before the coronavirus pandemic. Some 3.4 billion journeys were completed last year – up from 2.8 billion the year before, but below the 4 billion taken in the year to March 2020.

Meanwhile, residents in Derbyshire took 16.8 million bus journeys in the year to March – up from 14.2 million the year before. However, this remained below pre-pandemic levels, when 20.9 million journeys were taken.

The Government introduced a £2 cap on fares across England earlier this year to enourage more people to use local bus services. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "To keep essential routes running and encourage people back onto buses, the Government has invested over £3.5 billion since 2020, and by using funding redirected from HS2, we have also extended the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024 thanks to our Network North plan."