The Tories pledged to spend £4.2 billion on local transport in their election manifesto

Bus travel in Britain has dropped to its lowest level on record amid concerns over rising fares and cuts to routes.

Figures published by the Department for Transport show that only 4 per cent of all journeys made last year were by bus — the joint lowest share on record.

It was down from a high of 42 per cent in the early 1950s, with bus use in slow decline ever since, largely because of the dominance of the private car.

According to yesterday’s figures, 2.6 billion journeys were taken in Britain, excluding London, in 2018/19, down by nine million in a year to the lowest since at least 2004/5 when current records began.

Bus use has traditionally been stronger in London than the rest