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periods: as a result the peak hour journeys provided by service 40 in the morning and late afternoon are likely to be withdrawn.”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.
Could the reason for low usage at peak times be because those who do use the town service know that it will take forever to negotiate the traffic delays? Abingdon (like many another market town) now has population and traffic numbers that its streets cannot accommodate. The problem is too big for the restricted budgets of town and district councils to address adequately. Cutting services may save money, but it won’t help with the underlying difficulties.
There is no quick fix and yet that is what we all seem to want – even if our solutions differ.
Couldnt agree more Paul.
Personally I’d like to see strategic investment by government in moving public sector employment (including decision making roles) away from the south east as a catalyst to break the cycle of southern sprawl and northern decline.
surely they have access to the figures – it’s all to easy to scream ‘no cuts’ automatically.
Sorry my comment may have been a bit unclear. I wasn’t commenting on the bus service which i dont know anything about. I was agreeing with paul about the underlying problem.
Also looking at the mini bus users, (based at Abbey Close). Our club used to get a grant to pay for a bus to collect wheelchair users. This finished in 2009. They won’t withdraw the bus, but are finding some way to continue. (last possible option Private Sector Transport).
ppjs – in the main the town bus service is used by older residents who live some distance from the main bus routes to get to and from the town centre and the hospital. So the morning peak isn’t when most of them need the service.
If that is the case then this might be a reasonable proposal. there’s no point having empty buses adding to the traffic at peak times.
If there are residents would will be seriously inconvenienced by these changes then I will argue their corner.
Neil – I agree that older residents mainly use the bus outside peak times (for the reasons I suggested). However, not all hospital appointments – your example – can be fitted in to avoid traffic congestion.
Those considering cuts will probably argue that the bus is a public service not a social service – I have heard this point made before (in Reading). It is, in my opinion, a distinction with very little to commend it; in the end, public services are social services, since the public is society.
Do argue for the oldies! Since I am now 70, I expect to be one soon enough…