The cost to taxpayers of providing bus services in Oxfordshire has soared by almost 100 per cent in five years, new figures have revealed.

According to the Department for Transport, the county council paid £3.6m to bus firms in 2002-03.

The previous year, spending was £2.9m. In 1998-99, bus subsidies cost the taxpayer £1.8m.

A total of £13.4m has been spent on subsidies since 1998.

The funding is given to support routes that bus companies would otherwise not provide because they are not profitable. Most serve rural areas.

John Power, the Labour county councillor for Oxford West, who is a member of the council's environment scrutiny committee, is a long-standing critic of spending on rural bus services.

He said: "The amount of money being spent is increasing, but bus usage is only increasing by a fraction. Two years ago it was up just 1.7 per cent.

He said: "We're wasting taxpayers' money in pursuit of failed transport policies that do not fit in with the lifestyles of the majority of people in this county.

"On some routes, use is actually declining, despite the subsidies. I'm pleased these figures have been revealed -- they show what a huge chunk of money is being used to prop up rural services.

"The bus routes that are a success do well because of market forces, not because of public subsidies."

Alan Field, the council's bus services manager, said a rural bus subsidies grant of about £1m a year was provided by the Government.

He added: "We do take a long hard look at the services we subsidise and contracts are awarded every four years after being reviewed.

"We have to take value for money into account, but there's no absolute minimum in terms of the number of passengers using a service. We try to be flexible. The majority of services in the county are not subsidised."

Details of the expenditure came amid growing concern over the system of bus service tendering in England.

MPs have warned costs to councils are spiralling, as bus firms demand more money to run non-profitable services.

The Government said regulations were tough enough to prevent unfair practices by bus operators.

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