Get on Board
We are seeking to raise awareness of the importance of local bus services and to empower members, WIs and federations to make the case for buses in their local communities.
Background
Since 2010, local authorities have faced budgets cuts which have put pressure on the delivery of local services including libraries, children’s centres and bus services. According to the Campaign for Better Transport, council bus budgets have been cut by 25% since 2010. Furthermore, more than a million people in Great Britain now live at least a mile from a bust stop with regular service and more than 3,000 bus routes have been lost or reduced in the last decade (BBC).
With bus services under threat across England, Wales and the Islands, our Get on Board for a Better Bus Service campaign calls on both local and national governments to take action. Launched in 2019, this campaign seeks to raise awareness of the importance of local bus services and to empower members, WIs and federations to make the case for buses in their local communities.
NFWI Report: A New Route for Local Bus Services
On 20 April 2021, the NFWI (National Federation of Women’s Institutes) launched its new report on the impacts of a reduction in bus services.
A New Route for Bus Services aims to help build an understanding of the impacts of cuts to bus services on women and people living in rural areas.
In particular, the report explores the impacts of a significant reduction in local bus services on mental health, isolation and social exclusion, and sets out recommendations for future action.
The findings showed that only 18 % - less than one in five – of survey respondents living in rural areas in the UK say they have access to a frequent, reliable bus service. Furthermore, 25% of those respondents said that cuts to bus services have made them feel more isolated, and 19% said their mental health had been negatively affected. Cuts to bus services have also meant a decrease in being able to connect to other transport services and, as a result, 72% said that their dependency on using a car and reliance on family and friends had increased.
You can download the report here.
How you can get involved
- Learn more about our campaign by downloading our campaign toolkit here.
If you are not already a WI member, the members decide the WI campaigns through a democratic vote. We would love to welcome a new WI member, please click here for further details.