12 July 2018

Bucking the Trend

There was an interesting article in The Guardian on Tuesday looking at the state of UK Bus services.

Councils trying to save cash are cutting local bus routes – and badly affecting access to hospital, college and a social life

A report last week by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) found that local authority funding for bus routes in England and Wales has been cut by 45% since 2010 and more than 3,000 routes reduced or scrapped. This prompted the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to raise the bus issue in parliament during last week’s prime minister’s questions, where he promised to “save” the bus industry and give all those aged under 26 free bus travel.

Many bus services are run commercially, mainly financed by passenger fares. Councils may then choose to subsidise those routes that are economically unviable but deemed important to maintain. Yet cash-strapped councils are being forced to reduce or scrap these subsidised bus services.

Part of the reason councils cannot afford to keep subsidising local buses is the cost of financing the free bus pass scheme. It’s mandatory to finance the concessionary travel scheme in England, which provides pensioners and disabled people with free off-peak travel on all local bus services. But the LGA estimates that there is at least a £200m shortfall for funding free bus passes, because the government does not reimburse the true cost of providing it.

David Brown, chief executive of one of the biggest bus operators, Go-Ahead Group, which runs just under 700 routes – around 10% of which are subsidised – agrees. He says cutting local buses is shortsighted. “These cuts will overwhelmingly hit jobseekers, people on low incomes and those who cannot afford a car,” he says. “Buses are the poor relation of public transport. There’s no five-year plan for buses [like there is for air, roads, rail, cycling and even walking], yet one bus can take 75 cars off the roads.”

“Politicians are fixated on their legacy. They like to open shiny new infrastructure. But rail is regressive in terms of expenditure. You can achieve much more much more quickly by investing in buses.” Brown says that where possible, Go Ahead will work with local authorities to keep subsidised routes open and weave them into one of his commercial routes. “If you are trying to go from A to B on one of councils’ subsidised routes and that route disappears, you aren’t then going to go from B to C on one of my routes.”

Not all local authorities are slashing bus routes. North East Lincolnshire, Durham, Nottingham, Cornwall and Devon have all increased their funding for buses. Richard Stevens, managing director of Plymouth Citybus, says that Cornwall, Devon and Plymouth councils all have the political will to maintain bus routes. “They recognise the importance of buses for social inclusion, economic growth and future prosperity,” he says.

Full article The Guardian

Plymouth Citybus 536 WJ65BZC

Plymouth and Cornwall bucking the trend

17 comments:

  1. Big news on this. Told by Target driver they have lost all tendered services in Plymouth..7d, 13, 18,19, 31, 38, 52 and 223 all going to Stagecoach from November. Not sure re current Citybus 14 or new service to Sherford..have these gone to SC too??

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    1. Interesting gain by Stagecoach if that is the case. Kind of got the impression they were not that interested in these services.

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    2. I Have been told this too. If this is the case it is a widespread expansion of Stagecoach services..getting themselves known in other areas of the city with minimum risk...e.g. Plympton, Estover etc and they can build from there it will be interesting to see if they get the Sherford tender too.

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    3. Target drivers have been told they can all transfer to Stagecoach or will not have a job from November apparently. I wonder if thats the case if Target will see how their contracts on these routes or handover to Stagecoach early. Also note that Citybus are withdrawing from Mainstone from September.

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    4. seems very odd for stagecoach so think of taking over these small target routes, stagecoach normally dont want small routes witch get run by small buses, 52 route could be something but the rest i think are way to small for stagecoach or even citybus to be worried about running, if target was to lose these routes it would more likely got to dartline being same company delptop.
      i will be very shocked if stagecoach did take on these route from target witch seem to be doing very well and got a few buses waiting to be painted for service

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    5. im sure most of target routes only use 1 bus at a time witch i cant see stagecoach running, and most if not all need smaller buses... like e.g the 19 is a really small road it goes in witch is why its normally a baby solo or hopper bus, im going to say that the target driver you say told you is just guessing the info as i would not expect target to sell onto stagecoach ever, There even replacing the 04 and below reg buses with newer buses and would not get more buses if they was losing routes

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    6. it does seem that Stagecoach are indeed taking on Target roues and increasing their Plymouth operations. Hopefully we will start to see confirmed route changes starting to come through soon for some of these.

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    7. i do believe target will only have i think 5 bus routes left once stagecoach takes routes, like PR3 should be staying from what i know of, dont think school buses was effected and tesco shoppers

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  2. Have heard that Citybus have lost the 14 to Stagecoach. However, the most interesting development is that Citybus will no longer be running services to Holly Park. From September have been told that the 50 and 51 will become 20 minute frequency and the 50A/51A will cease to operate. Stagecoach will then cover Holly Park and it is how they run a service to there that is the most interesting aspect. Will the new service run via the Crownhill/Whitleigh or St Budeaux/Ernesettle direction? Is this the beginning of real competition again in Plymouth? We will have to wait and see.

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    1. Yes Citybus are pulling out of Mainstone too.. Stagecoach here too

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    2. I suspecg that SC have taken on thesd small routes from Target in order to gain larger 14 from Citybus and possibly Sherford contracf along with mainstone and holly park if so this is quite a large expansion for rhem in the Autumn

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    3. If I were them.i would go from Holly park straight up downhill road to crownhill, mutley, city or via Honicknowle, St Pancras and Peverell

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  3. what about the 59 route is that a plymouth route, have target travel lost that route

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    1. 59 not up for tender at moment. Next year i believe?

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    2. target has sadly lost the 59 route aswell as many others

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  4. PCC official tender results are due out on July 26th. Service 59 is a DCC tender

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  5. Dont know of intrest but stagecoach set to take over wessex routes later in year all work being moved to the sgbc and most is tendered

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