School transport comes under the spotlight next week as councillors fight to save bus services in Ross-on-Wye from falling victim to the credit crunch following county council proposals for significant cuts.
Proposals in Herefordshire Council’s re-tendering process will be debated by the town council on Monday (April 6). Changes will take place from September 2009.
Six routes through Ross have been identified as at risk – the No 31 to Llangrove, the No 34 to Monmouth, the No 37 to Hereford via Hoarwithy, the No 459 to Bromyard via Ledbury, the Sunday service of the No 32 to Gloucester via Newent and the Sunday service of the No 38 to Hereford.
The most notable cut is the possible withdrawal of the No 31 to Llangrove because the subsidy-per-passenger cost exceeds the criteria. The other routes will only be partially affected with frequency reductions and, in the case of the No 459, the destination may be changed in line with alterations to other routes.
A forecast increase in the cost of providing free bus travel for the elderly and disabled and the need to cut projected overspending in county council budgets have been blamed for the need to cut spending on the subsidised bus services.
In a letter to the town council, Herefordshire Council’s public transport manager Jim Davies said: “In the coming financial year the amount of money available for supporting bus services is likely to be reduced significantly. The cumulative effect of these reductions could, if implemented in full, reduce the amount of money available to renew bus subsidy contracts by 58 per cent and will require very significant cuts in the level of supported bus service, which will need to be made from those contracts due for renewal in the financial year 2009/10.”
In the case of the No 34 between Ross and Monmouth, the council says journeys taking children to and from John Kyrle High School are expensive to provide, particularly in the morning when a double-decker is needed. This not only affects the cost of the contract but also restricts the operators that can tender. The county council said: “The council has no responsibility to provide transport for children living within three miles of their secondary school and, in view of the financial situation, it is possible that these journeys will have to be withdrawn and a service provided only between 9am and 3pm.”
School and college buses to and from Hereford on the No 37 route will depend on a contribution from the school transport service.
Town councillors have until April 10 to pass on their views about the proposals and tenders for replacement contracts will be drawn up by April 24.