Threat of bus service cuts in Somerset from April 2024.

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

I've documented elsewhere that I'm back driving my own vehicle. One reason is the poor bus service in my neck of the woods. Buses of Somerset 58/58A. It was hourly when I moved here, with services to around 8pm. Is currently two hourly with the last bus starting from Yeovil at 6.45pm. Could be axed entirely at the end of March. Other services in Somerset are facing either the axe or a drastic cut in journeys.

There are many, many people for whom these buses are a lifeline. I've got to know fellow regular users of the 58/58A who don't have the option I've taken to switch to a car. Whilst they may have the option to take the train to and from Sherborne or Gillingham for shopping trips, for access to other services they need the bus. Health and local authority services are nearly always county specific, so travelling on the train to Sherborne or Gillingham in Dorset is no good for residents of Templecombe. There are outpaitent facilities in Wincanton, and Yeovil has its district hospital, social care and mental health facilities. Yes, there's the train service from Templecombe to Yeovil Junction, but that also requires a bus journey to and from the town. With not always reliable connections, despite nominally being timed to coneect with trains. A bit of traffic congestion on the bus route and you can easily find yourself arriving at Yeovil Junction having just missed your train. I know, it's happened to me on more than one occasion.

From ITV News:

'It would be a disaster': Concerns bus routes could be cut in Somerset

A number of bus routes in Somerset are at risk of being cut in a move which people who rely on the services to get to work, doctors appointments and shops say would be a 'disaster'.

It comes as Somerset Council say they might not be able to continue subsidising four routes, including the 54 which travels between Yeovil and Taunton, past the end of March.

The council has been subsidising 54, 25,28 58 and 58A operated by Buses of Somerset since the autumn, but that funding is due to come to an end by April.

Linda and Mary Snelling live in Yeovil and rely on the 54 bus service which goes between the town and Taunton every two hours.

Linda told ITV News West Country: "It's much more than just a person getting on a bus to go shopping, which it's so hard to convey, especially when you can drive, you get in a car and you can just go. But there are a lot of people out there, elderly, disabled people who are ill, people who can't afford it. Who just don't have that luxury. I lead the Yeovil Bus Users Group in Somerset Bus Partnership, and I obviously I am quite involved in trying to protect the services that we have. And I'm getting an awful lot of communication from really concerned people all across the route that need it to continue. It's going to impact the hospitals, people going for appointments, obviously there's a merger with Taunton and Yeovil and a lot of our services are being transferred to Taunton Musgrove and it is vital that we get that connectivity so that we can still continue to get to hospitals."

Mary, Linda's mother, has mobility issues and says she would not be able to walk far enough to get a different bus if the 54 route is cancelled. She said: "My legs are not great so I can't walk too far. So if they take it away I'm stuck."

Somerset Council have been running the 'Bus It' campaign, trying to encourage more people to use the bus for two pounds.

Cllr Richard Wilkins, from Somerset Council, said the council had been told by Buses of Somerset that the four routes were not financially sustainable. The council then subsidised the routes from the autumn until March.

Cllr Wilkins said more people need to use the services if their future is to be secured. He said: "These are particularly important routes for Somerset and a lot of people rely on them. So we will look at every opportunity but the bottom line is if we can get more people onto the bus, we can make the service sustainable, then it will keep running."

James Eustace, commercial director, First Bus South (which operates Buses of Somerset) said: “We’re currently reviewing our entire network in Somerset, which we do twice a year in line with our Enhanced Partnership agreement with Somerset Council. Through this period we’re working closely with Somerset Council, local councillors and bus user groups on our plans for bus services, and no decisions on the four routes currently being subsidised by the council have yet been made.”

There is a bus users gathering in Yeovil, tomorrow (Saturday 10th February, 2024) at 11am, which I will be attending.

One thing about this situation that is really pissing me off is the carping from the Conservatives on Somerset Council. Blaming the current Liberal Democrat administration of Somerset Council for the gaping hole in its budget. The council is on the verge of bankruptcy. That hole didn't suddenly appear when the LibDems took control of the shadow unitary authority in May 2022 and full control of the new unitary authority in April 2023. From 2009-2022 Somerset County Council was controlled by the Conservatives. For most of the same period to 2022 the Conservatives were in control of four of the five district councils too (latterly three out of four after the merger of the Taunton Deane and West Somerset councils). They did lose Mendip District to no overall control in 2019, but remained the largest party. It was the Conservatives who pushed through the creation of the unitary authority that started life in 2023. Going against the result of a referendum that the district councils organised.* The barely concealed desire of the Conservatives was to have complete control of all council functions in Somerset. That didn't work out for them in the 2022 election for the new unitary authority. The blame for the dire financial straits Somerset Council are now in lies squarely with the Tories. A decade or more of mismanagement from them. A craven attempt to gerrymander the county. And now others have to pick up the pieces, while the no longer in power Tories carp from the sidelines. Shameful behaviour.



*Which goes to prove that the Tories can ignore a referendum result when it suits their plans. Even if the plan goes awry.

[GBM]

Unfortunately it is all down to money and the 'use it or lose it' adage.
Down here we had a local Community bus (minibus) service that the Council contracted to run between Landsend and Zennor and back - four times a day, six days a week.  Unable to remember if there was a reduced Sunday service - or none.
After a few years money became tight, and the Council could no longer afford to subsidise that service, and several other local services.
They wanted all bus services to come under local control, so out went tenders.
Several smaller operators all fell under the Council service, whilst First kept their services to profitable ones only.
The Council subsidised the weekend/ evening and early runs.  That included the Landsend to Zennor run.
This was a lifeline for patients with no transport to attend the St Just surgery (which had been served by the Community minibus.
Unfortunately, there were not enough passengers using it, so the Council pulled it.
Much local outcry.
A year later, it was reinstated, but my occasionally seeing it pass by, has no passengers, or at least only one or two.
Again, I can foresee the council pulling this again.
The situation is not helped by our local surgery merging with a few others, and being centralised in Penzance.  The local surgery would always change appoints around to suit the local bus arrival times.

Perhaps a minibus would be cheaper to run than a small single deck bus, and a local garage to maintain it with volunteer drivers (as it used to be).

[JayMac]

I can only speak for the 58/58A but the 'use it or lose it' 'Bus It' call to action made by the Somerset Bus Partnership has been loudly answered. From my own observations the loadings have increased significantly in the last six months. So much so that the single deckers used are often full and standing from Yeovil in the afternoons and evenings. Half full plus is the norm throughout the day in both directions. Despite this First continue to claim that the service is not commercially viable. Although there's some disagreement on the passenger count methodology being used and whether it is up to date. Notwithstanding that, if council support is needed for this, and the other services threatened with the axe or drastic reduction, the funding should be found.

[TaplowGreen]

Perhaps one answer would be stopping the universal free bus pass at 60/65?

Means testing it may well bring in a lot more revenue for bus services.

[bradshaw]

Funding comes partly from Central Government for the bus pass. Removing it will not necessarily provide the funding boost to the council and buses if Government then reduces their input and fewer pass holders use the services.

  Local authorities are responsible for reimbursing bus operators for journeys made by passengers with a bus pass. The Government funds this reimbursement as part of the main Revenue Support Grant for local authorities. In 2018/19 £879 million was reimbursed to local authorities in England by the Government. Around 75% (£662 million) went to authorities outside London. There were 9.1 million concessionary travel passes (8.2 million older passes and 0.9 million disabled passes) issued across England and 884 million concessionary bus journeys taken. The average reimbursement per pass was £83 per year in England outside London and £184 in London.

The 54 service, between Yeovil and Taunton, serves Ilchester, Somerton and Langport on its route. The times I see it when visiting Langport it seems fairly well used. It too is now 2 hourly and further cuts will get to a threshold where it becomes unattractive.

In West Dorset, we lost our local bus some years ago, the rail replacement bus for the Bridport branch. There are some getting grants to see if a ‘rail type’ service might work but that is very unlikely.
We have the First bus X51 Weymouth to Axminster, via Dorchester and the X53 Weymouth to Axminster via the coast running 2 hourly, more frequently in the Summer. Then there is the First 6 from Bridport Hospital to Beaminster, with three journeys extended to Crewkerne and Yeovil. This runs M-F and on Saturdays Beaminster Town Council supports the CB3 over the same route but with fewer journeys. There is also the Axe Vale Ring and Ride service covering W Dorset and East Devon which serves different areas M-Sat for shopping etc.
The last two are important components but always under review.

[grahame]

Perhaps one answer would be stopping the universal free bus pass at 60/65?

Means testing it may well bring in a lot more revenue for bus services.

Funding comes partly from Central Government for the bus pass. Removing it will not necessarily provide the funding boost to the council and buses if Government then reduces their input and fewer pass holders use the services.

Paradoxically, a "simple" ending of the universal bus pass would reduce bus use and bus company income in most cases, and would dissuade many bus journeys.   And I don't see means testing it, reducing its provision only to those deemed as needing help, being a solution; I believe you would see a massive drop in ridership and have more empty bus seats running around.

Mind you - with a single fare (example) of £6.50 Melksham to Bath down to £2 at present, and the bus operator getting perhaps £1 for each pass holder, the current and perhaps future metrics are complex.   You also need to consider that if you discourage elderly and disabled people from going out (by bus) you decrease their mobility and increase the need for home services probably supplied and paid for by the state.  It's a complex morass of a situation we have got ourselves into.

[TaplowGreen]

Perhaps one answer would be stopping the universal free bus pass at 60/65?

Means testing it may well bring in a lot more revenue for bus services.

Funding comes partly from Central Government for the bus pass. Removing it will not necessarily provide the funding boost to the council and buses if Government then reduces their input and fewer pass holders use the services.

Paradoxically, a "simple" ending of the universal bus pass would reduce bus use and bus company income in most cases, and would dissuade many bus journeys.   And I don't see means testing it, reducing its provision only to those deemed as needing help, being a solution; I believe you would see a massive drop in ridership and have more empty bus seats running around.

Mind you - with a single fare (example) of £6.50 Melksham to Bath down to £2 at present, and the bus operator getting perhaps £1 for each pass holder, the current and perhaps future metrics are complex.   You also need to consider that if you discourage elderly and disabled people from going out (by bus) you decrease their mobility and increase the need for home services probably supplied and paid for by the state.  It's a complex morass of a situation we have got ourselves into.

My parents are both elderly and on a reasonable income - they see a free bus pass as a "bonus" rather than an entitlement and would still use buses when they need to and pay the fare without a pass - we are both speculating however I think a lot of people of that ilk would feel the same - especially with £2 fares as they are at the moment.

People would still need to get around after all - by all means keep free passes for those on lower incomes.

Perhaps bids could be put in by Local Authorities for the funds which are being redirected from HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) to "revolutionise transport" to assist with the costs of maintaining or expanding bus services?

[ellendune]

Perhaps bids could be put in by Local Authorities for the funds which are being redirected from HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) to "revolutionise transport" to assist with the costs of maintaining or expanding bus services?

You can't do that because HS2 is Capital expenditure and supporting bus services is revenue.

Breaks all the norms of accountancy and local government finance laws. No successful business would spend capital on revenue - if it does its a Ponzi scheme! Basically you do not expend capital on revenue because that is not sustainable as you only have so much capital.

Of course that does not stop our present bunch of amateurs who call themselves our government advocating changing the law to allow this as a solution to stopping local authorities going broke, but that is another story. 

[TaplowGreen]

Perhaps bids could be put in by Local Authorities for the funds which are being redirected from HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) to "revolutionise transport" to assist with the costs of maintaining or expanding bus services?

You can't do that because HS2 is Capital expenditure and supporting bus services is revenue.

Breaks all the norms of accountancy and local government finance laws. No successful business would spend capital on revenue - if it does its a Ponzi scheme! Basically you do not expend capital on revenue because that is not sustainable as you only have so much capital.

Of course that does not stop our present bunch of amateurs who call themselves our government advocating changing the law to allow this as a solution to stopping local authorities going broke, but that is another story. 

It's already to be used to sustain the £2 single bus fare which doesn't sound much like Capex to me?

[grahame]

Perhaps bids could be put in by Local Authorities for the funds which are being redirected from HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) to "revolutionise transport" to assist with the costs of maintaining or expanding bus services?

You can't do that because HS2 is Capital expenditure and supporting bus services is revenue.

Breaks all the norms of accountancy .....

So you can't redirect money from HS2 - a one-off spend - to things like filling in holes in the road because that's something that is an ongoing thing that continually needs to be done?   I must have misread something because I thought that was what they are doing?

[bradshaw]

The funding for stage 2a is based on future borrowing for the capital project. It certainly has not been released yet. If that money is to be redirected then each project will have to go through a business case in order for it to be released.

By then I would think we will be in the throes of an election.

The cynic in me suggests that the redirection proposals are simply political messaging to detract from the announcement of cutting 2a. The continued commentary by rail specialists and the Public Accounts Committee show how short sighted that decision was since it was the completion of 2a that would unlock the potential of HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))

https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43184/documents/214904/default/

Added
From the Guardian

Disastrous Truss budget forced UK^▸ (United Kingdom) councils to take out massive 50-year loans at soaring rates

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/10/disastrous-truss-budget-forced-uk-councils-to-take-out-massive-loans-at-high-interest-rates

[ellendune]

It's already to be used to sustain the £2 single bus fare which doesn't sound much like Capex to me?

So you can't redirect money from HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) - a one-off spend - to things like filling in holes in the road because that's something that is an ongoing thing that continually needs to be done?   I must have misread something because I thought that was what they are doing?

When we have a chief secretary to the Treasury believes they are reducing debt as a proportion of GDP over a five year period and is blindsided in a broadcast interview when presented with OBR figures that contradict her.  This therefore means they are breaking their own fiscal rules. You couldn't make it up. I reiterate my point about a bunch of amateurs.

The politicians may say they are funding these things from the savings from HS2, but I am sure the civil servants inside the Treasury will be accounting for it the proper way.  In short they are doing even more borrowing to fund revenue. 

[IndustryInsider]

Perhaps one answer would be stopping the universal free bus pass at 60/65?

Means testing it may well bring in a lot more revenue for bus services.

Wouldn’t that be a PR^▸ (Public Relations) disaster and vote loser?  Easy headlines such as ‘Government now picking on the pensioners’.  Even if the basis of the idea is indeed fair and sound.



Edited to fix quote - JayMac

[GBM]

Wouldn’t that be a PR^▸ (Public Relations) disaster and vote loser?  Easy headlines such as ‘Government now picking on the pensioners’.  Even if the basis of the idea is indeed fair and sound.

To be fair, us pensioners have had the 'triple lock' pension increases!
Playing devils advocate here mind (before needing a rapid door exit)

[JayMac]

The threatened bus routes have been safeguarded for another 12 months. I'd like to think that the campaigning, politician badgering and news coverage has had an effect. Services 25 and 54 will continue to receive support from the Bus Service Improvement Grant. First Buses of Somerset has agreed to continue running the 28 and 58 without subsidy.

From Somerset Council:

Four at risk bus routes safeguarded after Council and Buses of Somerset reach agreement

Somerset Council and First Bus South which operates Buses of Somerset have reached an agreement to ensure four routes in the county can continue to run for another year.

The four services, 58, 54, 28, and 25 were at risk of being stopped or reduced due to low passenger numbers. Last autumn, Somerset Council stepped in with Government money to keep the routes running and launched a campaign to drive up passenger numbers.

The campaign achieved some success, with more passengers using the services, but not enough to negate the ongoing need for financial support.

However following talks, Buses of Somerset and Somerset Council have reached an agreement to keep the services running until the end of March 2025. The 54 and 25 will continue to be supported using Government funding from the Bus Service Improvement Grant (BSIP Plus), provided by Somerset Council, and Buses of Somerset has agreed to run the 58 and 28 services without subsidy.

Buses of Somerset will continue to run and promote the services for a further year while working with Somerset Council and Somerset Bus Partnership to maintain an ongoing campaign to encourage bus use.

In summary:

• Services 54, 58 and 58a all remain unchanged.

• Service 25 from Dulverton – Wiveliscombe – Taunton will continue to serve all points of the route, but in order to ensure the service remains viable, the timetable will see some changes. Some daytime journeys will divert on the Service 28 through Cotford St Luke and North Fitzwarren at certain times of the day, these will be renumbered 28a.

• Service 28 will be revised, including some direct journeys between Taunton and Minehead, with an express service to Butlins numbered X28, which will operate Mondays to Fridays. Following feedback from stakeholders, the evening services will be retimed to align with trains serving Taunton station.

Further detail on the changes will be announced shortly.

continues...