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.
