A campaigning bus passenger has slammed "horrific" plans to slash rural bus routes and roll out an on-demand minibus service within months. Damien Valentine, who lives in the village of Timsbury, is particularly worried about residents commuting from Bath to Midsomer Norton and Brislington Park and Ride.
However, he says the bus cuts affecting Bristol and the wider West of England region are “devastating to the entire region”. From April, bus passengers in the West of England face losing vital services after the region's political leaders voted to stop subsidising 42 routes.
One of the routes is the number 179 from Bath to Midsomer Norton, which Mr Valentine relies on to get to various locations including Bristol and Keynsham. He said: “Journeys are going to take longer and be more inconvenient.” According to the list of potential subsidised services facing withdrawal, the 179 is set to run until June. Mr Valentine said: “While the service we have could be much better it gets us by...now there are a lot of people worried about what is going to happen."
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The avid campaigner told Bristol Live that the cuts will impact children travelling to school, people going to work and “elderly people who just want to get out for a little while”. In April, passengers in many parts of the region will be able to catch new ‘demand responsive transport’ (DRT) minibus services.
The new dial-a-ride West Link minibus services will act almost like a shared Uber, running in Windmill Hill, Knowle, Brislington and St Annes, as well as large parts of North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. But Mr Valentine said that no one he has spoken with welcomes the idea.
He said: “It currently takes 20 minutes to get from Timsbury to Bath Bus Station on the 179. A DRT minibus will take a zig-zag approach collecting passengers from all over the place before depositing them at a currently unknown transfer point where they have to wait for another bus that will take them the rest of the way.”
He told Bristol Live that he is concerned about the DRT’s operation system, from booking the service in advance via a smartphone app to connecting services and bus pass usage, and he questions its longevity when it’s finally launched. He is sceptical of whether the service will be ready in the next few months and if it will effectively cover the areas it is supposed to serve.
He said: “The sudden switch over to DRT with very little prep time and on such a massive scale is a reckless and dangerous move. They [WECA] haven't even run a trial in the region. So when it falls apart, it's going to have horrific and long-lasting repercussions for tens of thousands of people all across the area. It will take a long time to rebuild a proper bus network in the aftermath of that.”
In a meeting last week, Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “The leader of Bath and NE Somerset council last week to slash the amount they spend on council-supported buses. Less cash equals fewer buses - it’s that simple. That’s why services like the 178 and 179 - important ones for Midsomer Norton locals - are under threat.
"Once again, we're seeing lower levels of investment in buses than elsewhere in the country, and I’m afraid that will continue to be the case until I get the powers to bring in taxes and spend the money raised strategically.
"I’m proud of the record levels of national funding I've won for transport for our region. But that cash specifically cannot be spent on council-supported buses, something I've checked on more than one occasion with ministers. I am, however, reducing bus fares and I very much hope people will try my innovative WEST link minibuses to be launched later this year”.
In addition, he repeatedly denied that the new West Link minibus services were replacing the subsidised services — despite West Link kicking in at the same time the 42 existing routes are withdrawn. He said: “This is not a substitute for proper bus services, it’s a way of linking up people in more remote areas.
"I’ve asked the government if it’s possible to use the money I’ve received to maybe support bus services that are under threat, and it was very clear that the answer from them was ‘no, it has to be spent on ideas that are new and innovative’.”
Click here to see the list of the 42 possible subsidised services facing withdrawal from April.
If you are affected by these proposals we would like to hear from you - email bristolpostnews@localworld.co.uk.
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