Metro Mayor’s response following Bus Cuts (Sept. 24)

Dear Anna,

Thank you for your most recent email on behalf of Reclaim our Buses. Your ongoing work to amplify the concerns of residents is helpful as I continue to work to rebuild public transport in the West of England.

Thanks particularly for sharing Reclaim our Buses’ concerns regarding changes to bus services which have been brought in as part of the Autumn service change. I appreciate that it can be destabilising for residents when such changes occur.

Whilst I am sure that you would agree that some changes are inevitable and indeed necessary (for example, a number of service changes enacted earlier this week have been made to make timetables more accurate, by bringing them into step with on-the-ground journey times), I understand that it can take time to adjust to these changes, and in the meantime, residents can face confusion and distress. In recognition of this, service changes are limited to two sessions per year, so that residents can prepare, with all forthcoming changes being published on the Travel West website a month before.

I also note the challenges that Corston Walk residents are facing with travel due to the temporary closure of bus stops between The Globe and Saltford and was sorry to hear this. As the stops have been closed due to roadworks being undertaken by Bath and North East Somerset Council, it is the council’s responsibility to ensure that appropriate measures, including the set-up of temporary bus stops, are taken to minimise impacts on residents. As such, I would encourage you to escalate concerns to the council directly, who will be best placed to respond and take action.

On the changes to the route of service Y1 which has impacted journeys between Chipping Sodbury and Bristol, this service is operated commercially. As we have discussed previously, in the case where a service is commercial, I am very limited in my capacity to intervene in how it is run. The same can be said of the Y6 which is also operated commercially by First. As such, my capacity to overturn the changes in its timetable are again very limited. However, residents may also wish to know that the route of the Y6 has been extended to Chipping Sodbury, which should hopefully minimise the net impact on their ability to travel to Bristol.

Where it is not viable for a bus operator to provide a commercial bus service, my West of England Combined Authority has the ability to provide a limited number of bus services which fulfil social needs - these are called supported bus services. These are paid for through funding, called the Transport Levy. Services 86, 525 and 620 are all supported services.

I should be clear that the Transport Levy is a limited pot of money. For two years running local councils have frozen their contributions to this funding, meaning the money available for bus services has decreased significantly and in real terms. Unfortunately, less funding inevitably has led to fewer supported bus services. I understand that this is disappointing.

Bus services 84 and 85 were supported using funding from South Gloucestershire Council. This is a particularly challenging situation, as services 84 and 85 crossed over local and regional authority boundaries in the West, serving locations in the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority regional area- including South Gloucestershire Council- as well as the Gloucestershire County Council area beyond it.

As such, this is not a situation where there are simple solutions. I believe that it requires changes from central Government around the rules for how buses can be funded. I am hopeful this might be facilitated in time with the new Government and I am working with local leaders, including MPs, on this. I want to be honest that this may not change the immediate outlook for these services in particular, however.

On the cancellation of some bus services to Winterbourne Academy, it is my understanding that there were previously 3 services which served the academy: the 427 from Frenchay, service 458 from Downend and service 459 from Lyde Green. Until July 2023, these services were operated on a commercial basis by Stagecoach; from September 2023 until the end of last school year (July 2024) service 427 and 459 continued to operate on a commercial basis and service 458 was taken on by the school. I am aware the school charged fares to pupils to cover the operational costs of this service.

Stagecoach informed South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) that they would no longer operate services 427 and 459 on a commercial basis (as mentioned above, as a private bus company, they are able to determine which services they wish to operate). Following this, South Gloucestershire Council informed the school of this decision, with the school confirming that they were no longer going to continue supporting service 458 from the end of this school year.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) as the Education Authority has a statutory duty to provide free travel to eligible children of compulsory school age to attend their nearest school if they:

• Live more than the statutory walking distance from that school (more than 3 miles),

• Could not reasonably be expected to walk to that school because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, even if they were accompanied by their parent,

• Would not be able to walk to that school in reasonable safety, even if they were accompanied by their parent.

Unfortunately, South Gloucestershire Council have made the decision not to continue support for this service, whilst the West of England Combined Authority is not in a position to provide funding.

I understand that there are two services which South Gloucestershire Council will continue to fund to ensure that eligible children can attend school. The contract to operate service 427 from Frenchay to Winterbourne Academy has been handed back by Stagecoach, as this service is provided to children eligible for free travel continue, as well as Service 459 from Lyde Green to Winterbourne Academy.

Finally, I once again note your comments on franchising. As we have discussed this matter previously, I will not explain my full position in detail again. Please be advised that my stance has not changed since my last email to Reclaim our Buses of the 09 August 2024 and I am committed to improving bus services. Unfortunately, due to timetabling constraints I am unable to meet with you for a meeting, however I welcome your continued emails to raise concerns about bus-related matters.

Thank you once again for sharing residents’ feedback to the Autumn service changes.
 

Yours sincerely, 


Dan Norris
Metro Mayor for the West of England