FEARS have been voiced over the future of bus services across the region.

Members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s transport committee expressed concerns that some operators could even disappear due to the impact of the pandemic.

Lockdown, a need for social distancing and increased home working have all contributed to a decline in bus usage.

But Keighley Bus Company says it is “proud” of its record during the pandemic and that most of its journeys have been maintained.

The transport committee heard that services across West Yorkshire still needed to run to cater for key workers.

Although the Government is currently providing emergency grant funding to help keep services going, the money is only scheduled to last until April.

After that, the gap between the cost to run West Yorkshire’s buses and their income – including fares and non-emergency grants – will be £1.5 million a week.

Dave Pearson, the combined authority’s director of transport, said: “We have to maintain bus services for critical worker journeys.

“We had a letter from the Government saying we need to be prudent and efficient in the services we are deploying. We are currently having conversations with operators on how we do this while still maintaining our network.

“The Government doesn’t want us to be paying for empty buses. But it is not our intention to take any routes away at this stage of lockdown. We are keeping things under review.”

The authority recently sent a letter, signed by local council leaders, calling for greater Government support for the region’s bus services.

Committee chairman, Councillor Kim Groves, said: “We’re facing a funding gap of £1.5 million a week. The risk we may have is that once Covid restrictions are lifted, operators might reduce services at a time we will desperately need them to help support the economy to recover.”

Keighley Bus Company chief executive officer, Alex Hornby, told the Keighley News: “We are proud of our positive record in keeping bus services running throughout the pandemic.

“Over eight out of ten journeys on our services continue to operate, even during the current lockdown travel restrictions, demonstrating our own prudent and efficient approach to maintaining vital transport for key workers and others who depend on us seven days a week – including those using our buses to reach vaccination centres.

“We continue to work in partnership with colleagues at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and we welcome further clarity from the Government on support for bus services beyond April.

“Our buses are clean, safe and ready to go, and provide an essential service for customers.”