New figures show the borough experienced the nation’s second largest drop in mileage, at 19.74 miles per head.
Routes across the region have suffered from several rounds of cuts over recent years, while driver shortages and industrial disputes have also scuppered travel plans for frustrated passengers.
Services provided by private operators in Darlington have been particularly affected, with key routes to neighbouring County Durham and Tees Valley towns and villages axed.
Cuts to bus provision between 2011 and 2023 were 10 times higher in the country’s most deprived areas than its least deprived, IPPR North has found.
The think tank said that the annual bus miles driven per head across England fell from 25 to 18 miles in that time and that an extra 395 million miles would have been driven in 2023 had service levels stayed the same.
Darlington is one of the worst-affected areas in England by cuts to local bus services. (Image: Stuart Boulton)
The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) said it has stepped in to save local bus services from disappearing off timetables and continues to work with operators to improve the network.
A spokesperson said: “In Darlington, our funding has so far secured a number of local services, including service 6/6A, services 17 18 and more recently the number 16. Meanwhile, Tees Flex continues to serve rural stretches of the borough.”
According to the latest Government statistics, the total annual bus mileage across the wider North East has plummeted from 105 million miles in 2005 to just 62 million in 2024.
The figures were described as “environmentally, socially, and economically damaging”, while also backing calls for bus networks to be brought under public control in order to improve services.
Silviya Barrett, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Bus cuts are harmful wherever they happen, but these disproportionate cuts to deprived areas are deeply concerning.
“Buses are vital to people up and down the country, but especially to those on low incomes, for getting to work and college, shops and services, and for combating loneliness.”
IPPR North said that only nine areas across England had not seen their bus mileage cut since 2011 – all in the south. The think tank also estimated that the drop in public transport provision had resulted in 1.1 billion extra miles driven in cars and taxis in 2023 alone and a £2.6 billion hit to the economy.
Despite bus usage declining, TVCA said coverage in the region is better than before the pandemic.
“We’re continuing to work hard on our enhanced partnership to ensure bus operators offer better services, simpler fares and clearer information for passengers,” the statement added.
“We fund the £1 fare cap for young people aged 21 or under to travel on buses in Darlington and the wider Tees Valley – with a £3 day ticket in the region itself.
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“Independent survey data of passengers in our region shows satisfaction with services has risen since 2023 from 76 per cent to 80 per cent.
“We know there is a lot more work to be done to improve the network, but new funding, our Bus Service Improvement Plan and the Enhanced Partnership in place provide a solid base to take our network forward alongside operators.”
In the North East authority area, mayor Kim McGuinness set in motion plans to return the region’s bus network to public control on her first day in office as mayor last May. However, there have been warnings that the move to a franchise system in which the North East Combined Authority contracts private companies to run bus services could take several years to complete.