Bus cuts residents off

In spite of a commitment to increasing the number of people using the buses the council has refused to fund a route linking Throop and Muscliff residents to the town centre.

The 4B service had been operated by Transdev better known as Yellow Buses and was being subsidised by the council. But after the cost of running the service was going to increase by five times to £75,000 they have decided to make cuts and reduce the service dramatically. Les Della, chair of the Throop, Muscliff, Strouden Park, Townsend and Holdenhurst area forum, criticised the lack of consultation on the decision: “Ever increasing fuel prices, the threat of global warming and the council’s environmental policy all point to the need for bus travel." Mr. Della urged the council to reconsider the decision.

Buses like this one won't be running in the evenings

In a twist of bureaucracy and bad timing the council were unable even to vote to reinstate the service. News of the reduction in services had been embargoed due to the recent bi-election in Winton East, Charminister and Queens Park. This is standard policy when it is thought than an announcement could influence the outcome of a vote. Therefore, councillors were not told of the change until weeks after the decision was made- in spite of the fact that employees from the transport department were aware that the 4B was going to be pulled. Legally any bus company making changes to its services must advertise their plans eight weeks before any changes.

The meeting to discuss the issue took place less than a week before the timetable change. Therefore, even if a decision had been made to reinstate the service it would not have been possible to do so for an additional eight week period. Jenni Wilkinson head of marketing of Transdev said: “As with all bus operators we take a variety of factors into account before submitting a tender figure…this is commercially sensitive information and, as a result we are unable to discuss the matter in any detail."

Councillor Ron Whittaker represents Throop and Muscliff. He’s furious that they weren’t told sooner. He said: “I’ve been on the council for 27 years and I’ve never been treated like this before. The plan is unacceptable." Bus patronage in Bournemouth has increased by nearly 40% in two years as a result to better working relationships with bus companies, more frequent services and better quality vehicles. Councillor Robert Lawton said: “I sympathise with passengers but the cost of keeping the service is just too high. I was shocked when I was told the price. To keep the 4B would mean withdrawing another service." Bournemouth has already surpassed its 2010 target of 11.5 million passenger journeys by 1.85 million.

When this achievement was announced in July of last year, manager of transport and traffic, John Satchwell warned: “Having surpassed the current target it will (also) be essential to defend against policies which reduce bus availability and directly lead to additional car trips." The reduction in service of the 4B in the evenings and on Sundays means that residents in the North East of the area wanting to travel into the town will be forced to make their journey by car, taxi or bicycle. The decision will have the biggest impact upon the elderly and car-less, groups most likely to have been most dependent on the bus service.

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