South West Coaches cuts 13 routes in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Thirteen bus routes linking towns and villages in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire are being cut.

South West Coaches has said the routes will be phased out over the next six weeks as the services are losing money.

3 Gillingham - Yeovil (30 Nov)
7 Sherborne - Poole (26 Nov)
15 Sherborne - Salisbury (27 Nov)
28 Templecombe - Salisbury (27 Nov)
30 Wincanton - Poole (29 Nov)
32 Castle Cary - Salisbury (27 Nov)
36 Gillingham - Yeovil (30 Nov)
74 Yeovil - Sherborne (30 Nov)
109 Wincanton - Dorchester (28 Nov)
117 Wincanton - St Newton (26 Nov)
202 Chard - Dorchester (28 Nov)
205 Portland - Weymouth (1 Dec)
207 Weymouth - Downclose (1 Dec)

Lewis Trahar, from the firm, said: "Regrettably for some people in the rural parts, it'll mean the bus that comes once a week won't come any more."

The firm has said if people want to keep the services running they should seek support from their local councils.

"If people feel strongly about preserving the services, I would urge them to contact their local parish, district and county councils as they're the people who have the authority to fund services. The parish and district councils can lend political pressure to aid that process in happening for funding to come forward," added Mr Trahar.

The services which are affected include those from Castle Cary, Templecombe in Somerset to Salisbury in Wiltshire. Other affected services run from Wincanton, Chard and Sherborne to Dorchester, Weymouth, Poole and Sherborne in Dorset.

Somerset County Council has said it is not able to comment on what is commercial decision made by the firm.

[grahame]

Interesting to read comments ...  this from Brenda Markey of Wincanton

^I know some buses don^t have many people on them, but the number 28 to Salisbury regularly has around 40 people on board.

^We wouldn^t mind paying for the bus to continue ^ we understand that South West Coaches can^t keep running them at a loss ^ but they should at least try and keep the more popular ones. We have used the buses for a long time.

^It all came completely out of the blue and everyone is really upset. We just didn^t see it coming.^

via http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Passengers-left-stunned-Wincanton-Castle-Cary/story-17110561-detail/story.html

and the bus operator replies.

There are two factors contributing to this.

^They are the reduction in the concessionary rate contribution we receive for carrying pensioners with a free bus pass plus the reduction in fuel duty relief from the Government.

^The vast majority of passengers on these routes are those with a bus pass so, as a result of the cuts, we have seen our revenue decline and our costs rise.

^We realise the difficulty it will cause many of our passengers.

^It is not a decision we wanted to take.^

What a strange (alas, not unique) situation, in which a commercial situation is distorted by the rules and regulations of the free bus passes.   The customers, it appears, would be happy to pay a bit (though others in the article talk about train and petrol prices being too high, which is why they use the bus), but they're not allowed to due to the free bus passes.

"Can we pay for a bus service from [our township] to [nearby bigplace]"
"No, you can't - you're too old now to know how to spend money and your council and government will decide for you"

[bobm]

Is there anything in the Transport Act which allows the bus operator to issue something like a Senior Railcard so if people really do want to pay a contribution, rather than the full fare, they could buy a discounted ticket and choose not to use their bus pass?  While some say they are prepared to pay I wonder how many, in reality, actually would.

[Chris from Nailsea]

We have a similar problem in Nailsea.  From the Bristol Post:

Bus run popular with pensioners to be withdrawn

A bus service relied on by hundreds of pensioners is being withdrawn because the operator says it is no longer financially viable.

North Somerset Coaches has axed the number 4 bus, which covers the Nailsea Circular route from the High Street around the west end of the town and back to the centre, because of rising costs. The service, which runs twice an hour between 9.30am and 2pm on weekdays, is used by around 70 pensioners a day, many of whom rely on it to do their shopping.

As the majority of passengers are pensioners, they use their free bus passes on the service and owner David Fricker receives a payment of 90 pence per person per trip. But the rising costs of fuel mean that the service, which has been running for four years, is now losing money.

Mr Fricker said: "Increased costs cannot be passed on to customers through increased prices because most passengers travel using their free bus passes. As a business, we cannot go on losing money and need to look at providing services which are sustainable in the long term."

[Rhydgaled]

Again I have to ask, why is it that bus use seems to be declining in most cases while rail usage is soaring? We need modal shift to public transport in general, not just to rail.

[JayMac]

I'd hazard a guess that bus use is declining because local authority support for many routes has gone and the operators no longer receive subsidy from central government in the form of the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Then there's the payment operators receive for concessionary travel. This figure has not matched inflation.

This leaves operators little option but to only run commercially profitable routes and those still receiving some LA subsidy.

[grahame]

In West Wiltshire at least, bus traffic gently declined over the last few years after rising at the introduction of pensioner's travel free at the point of use. By contrast, train traffic ... well, let me show you the graph



Of course, one of the ways to reduce traveller numbers is to take services away ... so it's hard to be certain about cause and effect, and I expect that varies from bus service to bus service.

Graph reproduced with permission

[Rhydgaled]

I'd hazard a guess that bus use is declining because local authority support for many routes has gone and the operators no longer receive subsidy from central government in the form of the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Then there's the payment operators receive for concessionary travel. This figure has not matched inflation.

This leaves operators little option but to only run commercially profitable routes and those still receiving some LA subsidy.

But more services would be commercially viable if usage went up as rail has done (see Grahame's graph).

[anthony215]

quote]But more services would be commercially viable if usage went up as rail has done (see Grahame's graph).

I personally am not a fan of of teh free bus pass. I have seen the  bad effects it has on bus services.

An example being the X55 Swansea - Aberdare - Pontypridd service, this used to be very popular but eventually buses became full of oap's and fare paying passengers couldnt get seats so decided against using the service. End result service X55 has been heavily cut back and all that remains is about 3 trips each way will really only cater to those with free bus passes.

It was a shame especially since the route was very scenic and was lovely to travel on when a double decker or coach was used.

Yes there are some good points to the free bus pass scheme dont get me wrong, but I cannt help it has also had a negative effect on a lot of routes.

Another problem is the lack of funding which isnt helping things especially with local authorities having to really watch their budgets. I know Swansea city council have tried their best when services have been withdrawn by getting other routes to make slight diversions to serve those places where services have been cut or withdrawn (I.E. service 37 Swansea - Oyestermouth & service 43 Swansea - Morriston hospital via Townhill & Blaen-Y-Maes)

[JayMac]

For those that need it, a bus pass is a godsend.

But I'm not sure a universal entitlement when you reach a certain age is necessary. That said, making the OAP bus pass a means tested entitlement would probably create more problems and in turn cost more to administer.

The problem at the moment is the payment made to operators for carrying concessionary pass holders doesn't reflect the true costs involved. I've heard that in urban areas the payment received by the operator is 90p per pass holder per journey, regardless of how far they travel.

[LiskeardRich]

I have a couple of questions about the pass bus....
Does an operator have to accept the bus pass?
Could an operator decide to charge the passengers the difference between what they get and the actual fare?

[grahame]

I have a couple of questions about the pass bus....
Does an operator have to accept the bus pass?
Could an operator decide to charge the passengers the difference between what they get and the actual fare?

Some research ...

English National Bus Scheme

The scheme entitles all older and most disabled freedom pass holders to free travel on local bus services in England outside London between 9.30am and 11.00pm Monday to Fridays and all day at weekends and on public holidays

What is the definition of a 'local' bus?

The definition of a 'local bus' will be self-evident in most cases, but in a few instances could include some longer distance buses and coach services where part of their route is registered as a local bus service.

Run a local bus service - Overview

* A local bus service uses public service vehicles (PSVs) to carry passengers who pay separately over short distances.
* The route can be any length, as long as passengers can get off within 15 miles of where they got on.
* With a few exceptions local services operating outside London must be registered with the local traffic commissioner.

Exemptions

You don^t have to register a bus service if all of the following apply:
* someone other than you or your agent is responsible for arranging the journey and bringing the passengers together
* the journey is not advertised in advance to the general public
* all passengers travel together to or from the same place - eg a school or factory
* passengers pay the same fare no matter how far they travel
nor do you have to register ...
* a replacement bus service - when a train service is temporarily cancelled and a bus is used instead
* excursions or tours - as long as they operate less than once a week


I believe that any local bus service registered with the traffic commissioners must accept and English National Bus Scheme pass as full payment for journeys made by the holder within the times mentioned above, but I haven't found the "smoking gun" URL that states that.  The above has been sourced from:

http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/200022/help_with_transport/107/freedom_passes_for_older_people/4
https://www.gov.uk/run-local-bus-service/overview
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Application%20to%20Register%20a%20Bus%20Service%20-%20PSV%20350.pdf


Edit to add two more quotes - which (to me) imply an obligation on bus operators of local buses to accept passes as full "payment" for fares ... my use of colour to highlight significant words in the context of the question.

Why can^t I travel 24 hours a day with my disabled pass outside London as I can in London?

The English national bus scheme only obliges local transport authorities to offer off-peak travel on local buses between 9.30am to 11.00pm. Any travel outside these times is considered as a local benefit and is funded at the discretion of the local authority. Generally, most local authorities will only offer local benefits to their own residents.

Q. What is the ENCTS^▸ (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme) (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme) and when did it start?

A. The scheme started on 1 April 2008 and all older and most disabled freedom pass holders are entitled to free travel on local bus services in England outside London between 9.30am and 11.00pm Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on public holidays

http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/health_and_social_care/disabled_persons_freedom_pass_scheme/english_national_bus_scheme.htm

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk:80/services/freedompass/faqs/nationalscheme.htm