An £8million giveaway of free bus rides in the month of West of England residents’ birthdays is a “kick in the teeth” for communities who have lost vital routes, it is claimed. Opposition Conservatives in Bristol and South Gloucestershire have slammed Labour metro mayor Dan Norris’s “badly timed” and “wasteful” incentive to get more people to use the public transport network following the controversial withdrawal of dozens of services.
South Gloucestershire Council shadow cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure Conservative Cllr Liz Brennan said: “I am utterly perplexed at the Weca mayor’s decision to waste a colossal £8million on what amounts to nothing more than a desperate publicity gimmick and a shameless act of self-promotion. It is an enormous sum of money that could easily be put towards resurrecting all the services that have been cut after the Weca mayor claimed he could no longer fund them.
“We hear all the time from residents who have been left isolated due to the bus cuts, with vulnerable people unable to get to hospital appointments, visit their family and friends or even simply do their weekly shopping. Instead of giving people free travel for one month of the year on already existing services, it would be much more sensible to put that money towards resurrecting services that have been cut and that have left people isolated.
