Route back uncertain for axed evening buses
THE effect of the Government’s cuts was felt this week when evening bus services were pulled from the streets of Leamington - and the man in charge admitted he did not know if they would ever be reinstated.
Subsidised bus services will no longer run after 7pm from Monday to Thursday, with provider Stagecoach running Friday and Saturday night services for a six-month trial period.
Warwickshire County Council was forced to make the cuts after the Government reduced its grant for public transport from £2.9 million to £1.4 million, according to Cllr Peter Butlin, who is responsible for transport.
Even after the county council added around £300,000, this was still a cut of almost half.
Cllr Butlin (Con, Rugby Admirals) said: “We have tried to be even-handed across the county.
“For obvious reasons the evening services are the ones where it is not necessarily going to affect people going to work.”
The cuts have been criticised as affecting the elderly and disabled, and people without cars who worked at night. Cllr Butlin said the council still ran a volunteer bus service for the disabled and elderly and was trying to develop this further. He added there would be a six-month period in which the council could readjust services if withdrawal affected people badly, and stressed those bus services which people used were most likely to survive.
He added: “We will probably have some of those services still in place.
“If it pays it will continue, if it doesn’t pay it will stop.”
But Cllr Butlin declined to comment on whether the services would ever be reinstated. Cllr Butlin said: “That’s a crystal ball I don’t care to gaze into.
“The trouble is, when you do away with something over a long period people start to gear their lives up for different circumstances.”
Stagecoach Midlands spokesman Adam Rideout said: “Following the decision by Warwickshire County Council to cut socially desirable but uneconomic evening bus service subsidies, we have decided to maintain evening services on Fridays and Saturdays initially for a six month trial.”
Call Stagecoach on 08456 001 314 for information on timetables.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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