Tory MPs in Bristol have slammed the lack of a public consultation on cuts to local bus services. Yesterday (March 16) it was announced that the Y2 and T2 buses serving Yate and Thornbury from Bristol will be axed, and other popular routes reduced, which First Bus said is down to a shortage of bus drivers and low passenger numbers.
Cllr Steve Read, and local MPs Luke Hall and Chris Skidmore have blamed the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), led by Mayor Dan Norris, for the cuts, saying more should have been done to keep the services alive before they were discarded. They have accused the Metro Mayor of "not doing his job properly".
But Labour mayor Mr Norris says he did step in and save local services like the 178 to Radstock, Y5 to Chipping Sodbury, and 5 to Downend, and blames the cuts on the "Government's approach to bus funding." He said the Government's support package for public transport is "too little too late" for some services.
Also read: First Bus passengers fume as buses to Thornbury and Yate axed
He said on Wednesday: "I will always step in to save vital buses where I can but there isn’t an unlimited pot of money. I am pleased to be supporting the 178, Y5 and 5 but I wish I could have done more. These are all important services.
"I, and MPs cross party warned again and again that the Government’s policy on emergency Covid-19 funding for buses was not fit for purpose. This was not scaremongering. As is now crystal clear, the Government's final U-turn has come too late for some bus routes.
"There is also another cliff edge coming as the Government has said this is the last time they will support bus services in this way. From
October it will be simply down to us.”
Also read: First Bus shares list of services cut back due to driver shortages and low passenger numbers
But Bristol Conservatives say the Mayor needs to "stop passing the blame" for WECA's decisions. Cllr Steve Reade, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure, said: “All Labour’s WECA Mayor seems to do is cut services and we are yet to see any evidence of him fighting to keep them alive before they are discarded.
"The fact that people aren’t being given the chance to have their say before scrapping services like the T2 and Y2, which have only been running for a handful of years, shows that the Mayor isn’t doing his job and isn’t representing the people he was elected to serve. It is time he stops passing the buck on whose responsibility it is to keep buses running in our region and actually do his job.”
Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall added: “It is frustrating that WECA has approved cutting the T2 and Y2 bus services without proper consultation with local residents. We cannot have all the regional resources spent Bristol whilst buses are cut in South Gloucestershire. The Government has given more than £2billion of extra funding to transport authorities like WECA to keep buses going during the pandemic, and South Gloucestershire cannot be ignored.”
Meanwhile Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore said: “It is really disappointing to see local people continuing to be ignored when these decisions are made. The Save the No 18 Bus petition was the largest petition opposing a bus closure I have ever gathered in my 12 years as a local MP. This service is a lifeline for many people in my constituency, including the elderly and disabled who relied on this service to shop in Keynsham or Bath, and with the government continuing to make extra funding available, there is no excuse for not backing the restoration of this service. We are meant to have locally-led decision making to serve and benefit local people."
A full list of all the bus services which are going to be reduced from the end of April can be found here. Local people who use the buses regularly have been reacting to the cuts, with one woman saying she is considering an early retirement from the NHS so she no longer needs to get the bus to work.
Doug Claringbold, Managing Director of First West of England, said of the cuts: “Despite the Government extending emergency funding for another six months, ongoing issues with driver availability mean further action is necessary beyond the changes we made at the end of January to ensure we can operate services more reliably for our customers.
“A number of services will see temporary reductions in frequency whilst passenger and driver numbers are constrained but unfortunately there are a number of services that are not commercially viable even at pre-pandemic passenger levels. As a result we are having to make difficult decisions to act on these poor performing routes and ensure that our resources are focused on the areas of the greatest need.
“Wherever routes have been curtailed or cut, these were difficult decisions and we apologise to all customers who will be adversely impacted. We need to make these adjustments to be able to ensure the overall viability of our network in what remain very challenging and uncertain conditions, and we will continue to work closely with the West of England Combined Authority and other stakeholders as we navigate this difficult path.”
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