A meeting will be held today (Thursday May 26) to decide the future of buses across Bath and North East Somerset. The contracts, backed by the West of England Combined Authority, will expire in August and some “misused” services have already been cut.
The meeting follows a letter sent to WECA Mayor Dan Norris by leaders of Bath and North East Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council and the Mayor of Bristol. They expressed concern over plans to further reduce bus services in the area.
BANES council leader Kevin Guy has proposed extending existing bus services for a year, while the region’s transport network is reviewed. At today’s meeting he will propose a ‘road map’ that would protect major bus services.
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Mr Guy said: “People rely on buses and they expect their councils and WECA to work together to find common sense solutions. The bus industry is currently being hit hard by the impacts of Covid , rising fuel costs and other inflationary pressures.
“I will therefore propose at Thursday’s meeting that WECA extend for a year the existing escorted bus service contracts which are so vital for people’s access to work, leisure and health.
“This will allow time for the completion of a review and allocation of bus service improvement plan funding in areas such as bus prioritization and ticketing improvements, which will help us to provide the sustainable, high-quality bus system that our residents expect from us.
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“Given the pressures on local bus services, we recognize and are very disappointed that WECA is unable to fund all services withdrawn commercially, including in Bath and North East Somerset. However, it It is essential that we do all we can to support key services. I will ensure that our local communities are kept informed and that we consider ways to ensure that people are connected to the jobs, services and purchases they need. need. “
West of England and North Somerset has received £105.5million from the central government for its plan to improve bus services. You can find all the details of the extraordinary meeting here.
The background
Cracks began to appear in the creaking bus network in Bath and North East Somerset in October 2021. Although passengers were starting to return to work and resume a normal lifestyle, Covid was still taking its toll on the bus services.
Many buses were canceled as drivers had to self-isolate, but this news was not available on the First Bus app, leaving customers stranded and confused. In addition to this, it became clear that there had been a national diaspora of bus drivers, who were leaving the industry for heavy truck work.
It wasn’t long before the drivers left behind approached Bath Live with their tales of doom. These included working longer hours without a pay rise, dealing with chronic stress and watching colleagues leave for better-paying jobs as truck drivers.
Then in January some routes were cut and a local man wrote to the Bath Chronicle newspaper to describe his experience of waiting an hour and 20 minutes for a bus service that was supposed to arrive every half hour. He blamed the privatization of bus services for the failure.
In April, news broke that some “misused” services in Bath and Bristol would be cut. Wera Hobhouse MP and Sarah Warren, a BANES adviser, criticized the decision.
Ms Hobhouse blamed the Conservative government and said it should do more to turn around struggling bus services, while Ms Warren called for the plan to improve bus services at WECA to be brought forward. This plan will be discussed at the EGM today.
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-26 11:58:22
