Written evidence from U Benjafield (BUS
23)
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Qualification to comment
1.1.1 As Parish Passenger Transport Representative
for Althorne in Essex, a small village of 1,100 people, I would
like to comment on how my community is likely to be affected by
the Comprehensive Spending Review.
1.1.2 Parish Passenger Transport Representatives
are volunteers, either parish councillors or nominated to represent
parish councils, who work with Essex County Council's Passenger
Transport Department to receive ECC information and provide feedback
from the community. I have had this role for more than 21 years.
1.1.3 I am a founder member of the Dengie Hundred
Bus Users' Group.
1.1.4 I am also a member of the Essex and South
Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and Althorne Station adopter.
1.2 Background
1.2.1 My comments will be in the context of a
rural background which, as Members of the Select Committee from
rural constituencies will know, is relevant to many other small
rural communities.
1.2.2 Althorne has twice the national average
of over 60s. Many residents have never driven or are no longer
confident to drive, many still drive although they would prefer
not to due to infirmity, etc.
1.2.3 Only 20% of the village has access to a
regular hourly bus service.
1.2.4 The village appears superficially to be
well supplied with buses—about 13 services. However, most
are school buses which can also be used by adults, shopping buses
which run only in term time, or commuter buses which only serve
peak time trains at Althorne Station which is about a mile from
the edge of the village.
1.2.5 Three of our buses are part of a county
council contract; one of these in particular is very poorly used,
probably because it does not go where bus users need to go, and
is too infrequent and too complicated to understand. ECC also
provides a twice weekly shopper bus to replace the hourly commercial
service which was withdrawn from 80% of the village in December
2009.
1.2.6 Until December 2009, the whole of Althorne
was very well served by the hourly First Bus 31X service which
still runs between Burnham on Crouch and Chelmsford via Maldon
but has been withdrawn from five of the six bus stops in the village
and now serves only the one stop on the northernmost tip of the
village and is easily accessible to only 20% of the population.
1.2.7 Since the 31X was withdrawn, two families
have moved from the village because they had no transport, three
members of staff at the local residential care home have had to
find other jobs because they could not get to work, and visitors
to the care home have found the journey long, complicated or impossible.
1.2.8 80% of the village does not have
regular access to a bus which would get them to work, to the doctor's
surgery, hospitals, clinics, dentists, opticians, libraries, shops,
swimming pool, adult education, or to visit friends and family.
1.2.9 There are no evening or Sunday buses and
the timing of the bus which now serves the major part of the village
does not allow for residents to go out on Saturday afternoons.
2. IMPACT OF
THE REDUCTION
IN BUS
SERVICE OPERATORS'
GRANT AND
REDUCTION IN
LOCAL AUTHORITY
GRANT SUPPORT
2.1 Although the reduction in the BSOG has been
less than was expected, I understand that at times such as these
when margins are very tight, any reduction in support for bus
operators may well lead to commercial services being withdrawn.
2.2 The knock-on effect of withdrawing commercial
services will be to place an even greater burden on local authorities
to provide contract services at a time when their finances are
equally stretched.
2.3 It is difficult to see how bus passengers,
especially those in rural areas where journeys are longer, will
not suffer a huge reduction in their services with the consequent
deleterious effects:
— 2.3.1 Inability
to access employment (Althorne is located in the Dengie Pensinsula
which is already subject to higher rates of unemployment than
the rest of the Maldon District).
— 2.3.2 Social
isolation, with the consequent deterioration in health and well-being.
— 2.3.3 Difficult
or no access to health services.
3. CONCESSIONARY
BUS TRAVEL
3.1 Free concessionary bus travel since 2007
has had a hugely beneficial effect which includes committed car
owners being tempted out of their cars and on to the bus.
— 3.1.1 In
our area, initially the greatest effect was to get people to use
the Chelmsford park and ride service because concessionary pass
holders could then drive to Chelmsford and park free of charge.
— 3.1.2 People
who were previously proud car owners discovered that buses could
be clean, reliable and enjoyable. The result was a great reduction
in traffic in Chelmsford town centre which, coupled with the advantage
of a bus lane into town, had a great effect on all buses in the
town.
— 3.1.3 The
result was that people were then tempted on to other bus services
and concessionary pass holders started taking their grandchildren
with them on the bus, thus encouraging good bus-using habits in
a new generation.
3.2 One of the beneficial effects of free concessionary
bus travel has been the resultant independence and consequent
physical and mental well-being.
3.3 I am very concerned that there will not be
sufficient funding for bus operators to continue to run services
which are heavily used by concessionary pass holders.
— 3.3.1 Originally,
fare paying bus passengers could support passengers travelling
free off peak because every extra passenger (at around 60p in
the £) was a bonus.
— 3.3.2 Now
there are so many concessionary pass passengers that if the level
of reimbursement falls too far, services will become unprofitable
and will be withdrawn, causing problems for paying passengers
too.
— 3.3.3 One
solution would be to ask concessionary pass holders to pay a small
fare. A show of hands at our local bus users' group indicated
that concessionary pass holders would rather make a contribution
than lose a bus service. In this way, government could still support
concessionary pass holders but bus users could also make a small
commitment themselves.
— 3.3.4 It
is important to remember that whilst the Concessionary Bus Travel
Act 2007 has brought free bus travel for many people, there are
still many more on low incomes who either have no bus at all where
they live or who are reliant on Community Transport where, certainly
in our area, they pay less than a taxi fare, but a considerable
amount more than a bus fare.
4. HOW PASSENGERS'
VIEWS ARE
TAKEN INTO
ACCOUNT IN
PLANNING BUS
SERVICES / THE
ROLE OF
PASSENGER FOCUS
4.1 Passengers' views carry very little weight
4.1.1 There is no requirement to consult with
passengers regarding commercial bus services. When our bus service
was withdrawn, I was notified—as a courtesy—by the
operator, but by then the decision had been made and there was
less than a week before the change was registered with VOSA.
4.1.2 Essex County Council do consult with us
on contracted services but their minimum service levels often
do not allow for a very satisfactory service. The absence of evening
and Sunday services leads to social isolation or to heavy reliance
on cars. (Once someone has bought a car because they need to travel
in the evening or on Sunday, they will use it for all their journeys
because the investment and basic costs of tax, insurance, etc.
need to be justified.)
4.2 The role of Passenger Focus
4.2.1 My only contact with Passenger Focus regarding
bus services was last year when I reported the withdrawal of our
bus service and received a reply stating that the necessary legislation
was not yet in place for them to take action on our behalf.
4.2.2 I notice from the Passenger Focus website
that a board paper dated 17 November 2010 under "Progress
report" mentions a meeting with Essex Parish Passenger Representatives,
of which I was not aware. I wonder how many other parishes were
excluded?
5. POSSIBLE SOLUTION
5.1 Funding, possibly from Central Government's
new Local Sustainable Transport Fund, could support a new hourly
commercial bus service which would slot in between the existing
31X First service but run only between Burnham on Crouch and Maldon.
This would provide:
— an
enhanced service for more than 15,000 people in Southminster and
Burnham;
— some
slack in the system to take in villages such as Althorne/North
Fambridge, etc;
— an
additional short hop service in the towns and villages (at the
moment all buses run in Burnham at the same time);
— a service
to entice people out of their cars (½-hourly service is more
attractive);
— a connection
onwards to Chelmsford to enable hospital access; and
— the
possibility of involving Viking Community Transport and/or local
taxi firms to "feed" the 31X and the new 31 service.
5.2 The result would be:
— support
for economic growth (money in the bus industry and opportunities
for access to employment);
— reduced
carbon impact/delivering cleaner environments (fewer cars);
— improved
safety (fewer very elderly drivers—and others—who
don't want to be driving);
— increased
levels of physical activity (walking to the bus stop instead of
climbing straight into a car);
— better
public transport for all;
— changed
patterns of behaviour and more sustainable travel, especially
for short journeys (including short hops in Althorne village and
elsewhere);
— local
partnerships (maybe a partnership between Essex County Council
and First, including Maldon District Council, Burnham on Crouch
Town Council, parish councils, Dengie Hundred Bus Users' Group,
etc;
— voluntary
sector involvement—contributing to the Big Society;
— reduced
congestion; and
— elimination
of contracted bus services running empty.
5.3 There is no reason why this solution should
not be applied in other areas of the country too.
6. SUMMARY
6.1 I cannot envisage any outcome from the cuts
in the bus operators' support and local authority funding other
than bus services being reduced or disappearing completely.
6.2 As we already know, a poor bus service will
be poorly used. There is currently a higher than average level
of car ownership in our area and I can only see this increasing,
with all the concomitant congestion on poor country roads.
6.4 The answer is to be brave and to seek an
innovative solution as suggested in Paragraph 5 above which could:
— encourage
a continued modal shift from cars to buses;
— improve
bus services for both fare-paying passengers and concessionary
pass holders;
— boost
access to employment;
— encourage
independence; and
— reduce
social isolation.
6.5 A comparatively small investment via a source
such as the Local Sustainable Transport Fund could lead to savings
in many other areas, including job seekers' allowances and health
care.
January 2011
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