The number of buses and coaches using Mendip roads has fallen by more than a tenth over the last nine years, new figures reveal.

This decline mirrors a broader national trend, with fewer buses licensed across the UK at the end of last year than in any year since 2014.

Data from the Department for Transport shows that 246 buses and coaches were licensed in Mendip at the end of 2023.

This is a decrease from 265 the previous year and represents a 13% drop since 2014, when 284 vehicles were recorded.

Across Somerset, the number of licensed buses and coaches stood at 1,377 at the end of 2023. This was down from 1,401 the year before, representing a slight fall of 4% since 2014, when there were 1,433.

Nationally, 141,300 buses and coaches were registered across the UK at the end of last year, marking a 16% decline over nine years.

Rod Dennis, spokesperson for the RAC, described the fall as "disappointing at a time when so much public money is being spent on trying to make bus travel more attractive."

He added, "It's little wonder then that so many people are as dependent on their cars as they are."

Silviya Barrett, director of policy and campaigns at the Campaign for Better Transport, noted, "Schemes such as the £2 bus fare cap have helped to boost bus passenger numbers, but they are no substitute for long-term funding, and these figures show we still have a way to go to halt the vicious cycle of bus cuts. The Government must do more to support all local authorities so they can work with bus operators to run quality services and expand provision for the millions of people who rely on buses every day."

The Bus Users campaign group highlighted the broader implications of losing bus services. Chief executive Claire Walters said, "Funding for bus services is an investment that boosts local economies, reduces congestion and pollution, and improves health and wellbeing. We need ongoing, ring-fenced funding to protect these lifeline services for the future."