Public transport in the country is 'limited'

The report, jointly produced by Transport 2000, the Countryside Agency and Citizens Advice, says public transport and opportunities for walking and cycling are limited and disjointed.

It blames poor overall control over how different transport threads come together in a particular area.

The Rural Transport Futures report recommends increasing funding to help provide more services and bring down fares.

Findings were based on comparisons made between British rural transport and some European neighbours including Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

'Skeleton networks'

Lynn Sloman, the report's editor and an independent transport consultant, said people in rural areas of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland had many more choices than their UK counterparts.

"Public transport is synchronised. Taxi-buses run at off-peak times, and the roads are much safer for pedestrians and cyclists," she said.

"These countries spend more than we do on rural transport, but their well-used, integrated services provide much better value for money than our poorly-used skeleton networks."

Meanwhile in Britain, rural transport is "stuck in neutral" said Stephen Joseph, Director of Transport 2000.

People in the countryside often have little alternative but to own a car, which for some is a major expense, according to Citizens Advice chief executive David Harker.

"Poor public transport makes it difficult for people to get to work, the shops, post offices and hospitals," he said.

National, regional and local government have to meet the challenge and get things moving for rural Britain David Harker Citizens Advice

"Some people end up in debt because they have to run a car that they cannot afford.

"National, regional and local government have to meet the challenge and get things moving for rural Britain."

Richard Wakeford, chief executive of the Countryside Agency, said it had been "working hard" to find flexible transport.

"However, there is still much to be done and we can learn from the good practice in other European countries."

But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stressed that the report recognised "important cultural differences" between the UK and Europe.

A spokesman said: "We would agree with much of what the report identifies as important for better rural transport.

"Flexible transport provision is very important in rural areas and the government is relaxing the rules on the registration of buses so bus service providers will be able to offer a wider range of flexibly-routed services."