Buses to be reviewed as routes still below pre-Covid levels

The 141 service was saved this summer after it faced cancellation

Bus services in Nottinghamshire are being reviewed as passenger numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Nottinghamshire County Council said it was reviewing routes before drawing up a three-year plan to support services.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said usage was at 80 to 85% of the numbers seen prior to Covid.

The council cited national trends such as changing work patterns, online shopping and a reluctance to use buses due to the "legacy of Covid".

Operator Trentbarton said earlier this month it had 130 driver vacancies, which it cited as the cause of 1,614 services being cancelled in August.

In the summer it announced the 141 service connecting Ashfield and Mansfield with Nottingham would stop, but the county council provided a year's worth of funding to continue the service through a 12-month contract with rival provider Stagecoach.

The council said it had received £3.9m from the government's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to improve services over the three years.

In a report Adrian Smith, the authority's corporate director for place, said the money was intended "to provide transport where gaps have been identified in the network".