New bus shelters have been installed along the Wootton Road in Abingdon. The positioning of the one outside John Mason school is a bit too close to the hedge, but apart from that they look great.
It makes the old bus shelters along the Oxford Road look like museum pieces.
Reductions in central government funding to Oxfordshire County Council mean that they need to cut services, and they are aiming to save a further £6.3m from bus subsidies.
They have already reduced the Abingdon Town Bus Service (pictured above) so that the last bus finishes at 15:30.
They are now asking people what else can be cut. The options in the current consultation are:
You can have your say on Wednesday 8th July at Abingdon Guildhall from 16:00-17:30.
More information at the Oxfordshire County Council’ Website.
It was pointed out to me that users of the Abingdon Town Bus Service have no return bus after 15:30.
Heyfordian have been running the subsidised Abingdon Town Bus Service since June 2010. It connects places off the main bus routes.
The new contract from June 1st 2015 has been won by Thames Travel.
The main difference comparing the old timetable shown above …
and the new service downloadable from Thames Travel is that services before 9am, and after 3pm have been cut.
County Council officers reported to councillors that “There is barely any recorded use of the Abingdon town services in peak periods: as a result the peak hour journeys provided by service 40 in the morning and late afternoon are likely to be withdrawn.
Usage reduces significantly in the afternoon, particularly on Saturdays. An earlier finish may provide an opportunity to reduce costs if necessary and protect the overall level of service for the busier part of the day.”
Every four years, certain local district bus routes, subsidised by Oxfordshire County Council, need to be reviewed to ensure they are giving Council Tax Payers value for money.
The current contracts run to the end of May 2015. New contracts will be put in place from June 2015. The consultation about these services is open until 15th November 2014.
The services are mainly rural and help people get out and about.
One service is of particular concern to Abingdon, The Abingdon Town Service, is chiefly used by elderly people without cars or bikes to get into town, and to the Community Hospital.
The County Council are looking to save money. They say “All of the Abingdon town service routes serve housing areas situated off main roads at a considerable distance from main routes.”
County Council Officers say savings can be made as “There is barely any recorded use of the Abingdon town services in peak periods: as a result the peak hour journeys provided by service 40 in the morning and late afternoon are likely to be withdrawn.”
County Council Officers say “Usage reduces significantly in the afternoon, particularly on Saturdays. An earlier finish may provide an opportunity to reduce costs if necessary and protect the overall level of service for the busier part of the day.”
But this is a democracy. Let them know if they have got it wrong.