SIR – Jan Stallworthy’s timely letter in the T&A (October 24) calls for additional comment. Also under threat of withdrawal is the Saturday Skipton to Malham service. The Whitby area has had severe cuts, leaving the town almost without evening buses. Next year there will be no moors bus. Where is it going to end?

Much of the problems result from the 1986 deregulation of the bus industry, whereby everything has to run profitably, with or without subsidy.

This has not always been a good thing for the passenger. We were told fares could come down and there would be more choice. Exactly the opposite happened. Often there is no choice at all, especially evenings and Sundays.

I contend that if it were not for the huge sum of taxpayers’ money given away annually on foreign aid, none of Mr Osborne’s cuts to councils need have happened.

As for “consultation”, we all know what that means – cut and dried to start with.

That these latest bus service cuts are in the pipeline is a disgrace.

George Watson, Lichen Close, Bradford