Aside from the occasional story in the local media, it is a phenomenon that has swept Scotland with barely any national attention or debate.

But in the communities where bus services are withdrawn, the effect couldn’t be more different. Senior bus company managers, council officials and politicians up and down the country have told The Herald of attending meetings over the past few months that have regularly attracted more than 100 people in each community angered by the loss of “lifeline” services.

Typically, it is the most vulnerable groups that suffer: elderly people unable to walk the extra 10 or 15 minutes to the nearest bus stop, hospital patients who rely on local services to take them to their appointments, and people living in economically deprived areas with low car ownership and no access to other forms of public transport.

As well as the immediate shock the cuts cause at community level, there is also a wider concern in the industry of long-term damage to services that are seen as essential to getting people out of their cars and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

After decades of decline linked to the rise of private car ownership, and several more recent years of growth, major operators are once again reporting a downturn in passenger numbers – and are cutting services to match the dwindling demand.

The effect has been most pronounced in urban areas hit hard by rising unemployment. One industry source described it as the “Woolies effect”: shoppers and staff who would have typically used the bus disappeared when the former high street giant went under. But with unemployment expected to continue to rise next year, the bus industry is set to experience a prolonged depression.

Leon Daniels, commercial director of UK Bus services for Aberdeenshire-based First Group, said that no part of the country had been immune to the downturn. “I can’t think of an area across the UK that hasn’t taken service levels down,” he said.

The company, which is one of two major bus operators in Scotland along with Stagecoach, and the dominant provider of services in Glasgow, Stirling and Aberdeen, has seen a 4% reduction in mileage across the UK, Mr Daniels told The Herald.

However, he said the cuts, while a matter for concern, demonstrated the bus industry’s “flexibility” in responding to economic circumstances.

Unlike rail services, which are heavily subsidised, this has not required major public funding. He said: “The great thing is that with buses, unlike fixed track, you can turn the volume up or down extremely quickly. It’s very flexible.”

Glasgow

SPT has seen its budget for subsidised bus services increase by £210,000 this year in response to cuts by First in October, and warns that it will not be able to afford to keep them running next year, when the bill is due to increase to £475,000.

First Glasgow, which operates a network carrying 131 million passengers a year, said the cuts had been made in response to a 5% downturn in passenger numbers that had wiped out the growth seen in the two previous years.

Mark Savelli, the company’s managing director, insisted it was still “wedded to a growth strategy” but that it was important the company remained profitable in the short-term. “We’re not bringing out a begging bowl. We’re a profitable, sustainable business and 98% of services are non-subsidised,” he said.

Stirling

The council has been able to replace only two of the 12 services that were withdrawn or reduced in two rounds of cuts earlier this year.

Jim Thomson, the councillor responsible for bus services, said he was “extremely unhappy” at the cuts. He added: “While we recognise that we are facing difficult financial times it is unreasonable to expect this council to take more money from the public purse to put into the private sector.”

Edinburgh

The council-owned Lothian B uses posted a £801,000 operating loss earlier this year – the first in its 20-year history – largely as a result of disruption caused by the city’s ongoing tram works. The company will also have to fund losses incurred by the trams when they are up and running, with a £4.1m loss predicted in 2012.

West Lothian Council has also complained of cuts to services operated by First, many of which run between Edinburgh and its council area. It has had to find an additional £114,620 this year to replace some of the services lost, but has warned that the funding will not be available this year to keep them running.

Dundee

Despite having one of the country’s most progressive partnerships between the council and bus industry, which has seen significant levels of investment and passenger growth in previous years, Dundee has not been immune to this year’s rounds of cuts.

About 10% of the network, operated by National Express and Stagecoach, have been subjected to cuts or reduced frequency over the last 12 months. Stagecoach said that its services had been put at a “sustainable level and reflects the level of current patronage”. National Express declined to comment.

Aberdeen

The city has been hit by a damaging round of strikes this year. Perhaps even more corrosive were the three rounds of cuts to services over the last two years by First, which operates a virtual monopoly in the city, in response to steadily falling passenger numbers. Andrew Stokes, manager of the council’s public transport unit, believes the decline is linked to fares in Aberdeen, which are 9% above the national average.

However, Bob Dow, MD of First Aberdeen, claims the main problem is the level of congestion in the city.

Case Study: Elderly left isolated by changes

Many Ruchill people have been left socially isolated since losing the only direct bus service into Glasgow.

“A lot of the people living here are elderly and walking 10 or 15 minutes up a hill to get to the nearest bus stop in Maryhill is difficult for them,” Patricia Ferguson, the local MSP, said.

“It’s also going to make it more difficult for people to get to work in the morning.”

The area only got a bus service in 2007 after a long struggle by Ms Ferguson. She argued good transport links were vital in an area with high levels of social and economic deprivation.

But it was withdrawn in October by operator First Glasgow as it had too few passengers to be viable.

“I do appreciate what First have done, they responded to my requests and have tried to make it work,” Ms Ferguson said.

“The problem is that bus services are run to make money rather than to provide for social need.”

Mark Savelli, First Glasgow’s managing director, said: “We put this service in without subsidy and at our own commercial risk.

“Unfortunately it has not been possible to sustain it on a commercial basis.”