By Dr Sarah Wollaston MP - 28th June 2011
Dr Sarah Wollaston MP raises concerns about the 'perfect storm' brewing over the future of rural bus services, which are facing ever-increasing costs and reduced revenue.
The Citizens Advice Bureau has found that many low income families are spending as much as 25 per cent of their income on owning and running a car - not through choice but necessity. South Devon is one of the most expensive areas of the country with high housing costs and low earnings often with unreliable seasonal employment. It has one of the highest insolvency rates in the country and a high percentage of retired people who are more likely to be dependent on public transport.
The more rural an area the greater number of cars or vans per household.
Devon County Council has reduced the public transport support budget by £1.35m out of a total spend on public transport of £7.75m, following the Comprehensive Spending Review and a public consultation.
But even more worrying is the 'perfect storm' brewing in the future with ever increasing costs and reduced revenue.
From April 2012 there will be a 20 per cent reduction in the Bus Service Operator Grants which will increase operator costs by 1.5-2 per cent.
The reduction in operator reimbursement for pensioners' bus passes is also having a major effect on operator income and net costs.
Add to this the costs of administering the scheme: Devon County Council is having to spend £12m on this, and it estimates that it has been underfunded by approximately £5m in the current year on this scheme alone. Many of my constituents wonder whether the ability of some people to travel for free is more important than the ability to travel at all.
On top of reducing subsidies comes the blow of passenger transport inflation which outstrips RPI as a result of increased insurance premiums, increasing staff costs as a result of legislation on part time workers, increased training requirements and more expensive vehicles not to mention the runaway costs of fuel.
76 per cent of bus journeys in Devon are on commercial services and Devon County council is unable to consult on commercial changes. There have recently been around 200-300 service changes each year with only 56 days notice required to do so. This leaves little time for those affected to make alternative plans.
If a skeleton service no longer allows you to access employment, medical appointments or your school, then you are effectively excluded from taking your full place in society.
Of course there are many community bus services in Devon; a great tribute to their volunteers and Devon has led the way in demand-led bus services.
So what then is the solution?
Doing nothing leaves the 14 percent of rural transport poor at the roadside and is not an option. As public consultation exercises have shown, they are not prioritised by those who have cars.
What do my constituents say?
I have been surprised by the number of pass holders in Devon who tell me that they would rather have to pay a small amount per journey or even an annual administration fee than have reduced services.
Experts in local transport tell me that an annual fee of around £30 would cover the administration costs and still represent outstanding value for money for free travel for a whole year.
Others ask me to question why foreign vehicles can use our motorways for free when we pay so much to use their own? Why not have a system as in Switzerland where vehicles have to display a motorway pass. For British nationals that would be our tax disc and we could ask all foreign trucks and cars to pay a smaller amount for a disc to use our motorways...again outstanding value for money to them and at no cost to UK taxpayers.
Others have suggested a higher VED for high emission vehicles to subsidise public transport.
Perhaps we should give councils powers to require out of town supermarket users to pay to park. This could be reimbursed in store if necessary but the levy paid to subsidise local rural services if appropriate for that area. This would also redress the imbalance affecting our rural high streets where on street parking charges drive ever more customers to out of town retailers.
I would also like to see travel cards for fare paying customers that allow use on all routes so that customers can benefit from all services where more than one company operate along a route. Perhaps even a commitment from bus companies to make their timetables fit in with other forms of public transport like train services so that passengers don’t alight from the train to see their connecting bus heading off into the sunset.
Doing nothing should not be an option.
Dr Sarah Wollaston has been Conservative MP for Totnes since 2010.
Article Comments
Dr Wollaston attened our community public meeting at Townstal Dartmouth and the meeting was dominated over all other issues by the Rural Bus Services or rather the lack of it.
This area has a high proportion of elderly and infirm and now that a direct bus service to the regional main hospital has been withdrawn making the journey is a real task where you are tring to get links to get to the hospital.
One suggestion that was well recieved was rasing Car Tax by 1 or 2 pounds and informing the public that this additional revenue will be ring fenced to assist with the funding of Rural Bus Services if explained that it is not another stealth tax then we believe the public would accept this.
Stephen Smith
29th Jun 2011 at 11:41 am
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