Dozens of bus services paid for by council taxpayers in the Bristol region are under threat amid a row over who will foot rising costs to fund them. A total of 26 “supported” routes that receive public money because they are not commercially viable are at risk of being scrapped, with West of England mayor Dan Norris and South Gloucestershire Council again at the centre of a major bust-up.
The metro mayor has criticised the local authority’s leader Cllr Toby Savage for “reneging” on a deal to pay more to keep the services going, while the council’s transport boss has fired back accusing Mr Norris of “false claims” and for being the one to blame for the potential cuts. Extra cash is needed for subsidised routes because the cost of buses has rocketed by 43 per cent with soaring fuel prices and driver shortages, which means some services that are currently profitable for operators may soon no longer be and will have to rely on taxpayer money alongside the 80 that receive it already.
At the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) committee in April, the leaders of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils agreed an increase of up to 10 per cent in the transport levy – money from the unitary authorities and developer contributions for supported buses. The decision included a “contribution” from Weca, but it is understood that agreement cannot be reached between the combined authority and the councils on the amount, and the three council leaders have now called an urgent meeting on the issue for Thursday (May 26).
