A CONSULTATION on major reductions to subsidies for bus routes across the county was approved yesterday.

At a meeting of Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet, senior councillors voted to consult people on proposed cuts of about £2.3m.

The change will put at risk about 105 bus routes in Oxfordshire that are not considered commercially viable, which the authority compensates private providers for.

Cabinet member for transport David Nimmo Smith said: “We have to make savings, no ifs, no buts. But we are pressing bus companies to continue to provide these services [in rural areas].”

The county council currently pays bus companies £3.68m a year to run bus routes that would otherwise not be commercially viable.

When the plans were announced on May 15, county council officers said no decisions had yet been taken on which services would lose their subsidies, but their intention was to protect those that operate during off-peak times.

People across the county will be asked for their views in a consultation which will start in the middle of June and run for 12 weeks.

Posters advertising the consultation will be displayed on buses on routes which might be affected by the cuts and also in libraries, where hard copies of the consultation will be available.

It will be posted at oxfordshire.gov.uk