Public Transport .

Our bus companies are threatening to cut services as they reckon some routes arnt viable . With fuel prices the way they are if they cut their ticket prices and made it worthwhile for motorists to dump the car then these services would be viable . I caught a bus into our town centre the other day which is maybe a mile and a half 2 at a stretch but I doubt it and it cost nearly 5 pound return . If you had a family can you imagine . Mum dad and 2 kids thats nearly 20 pound to do less than 2 miles and they wonder why their buses arnt viable . It doesnt take an idiot to work out lower ticket prices , more passengers will add up to more money in the long run . High ticket prices are just company greed .

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

They've been cutting services and raising fares for a long time, so they can't blame it on the present problems. Even so, the fuel prices per litre are the same for them as for us unless they manage to have some sort of trade discount.

I have a bus-pass now but have to pay before a certain time in the morning, so I know it's not cheap for my 4-mile round-trip to town, although it always used to be comparable to, or slightly cheaper than, using my car. It didn't use much fuel for that, but the car-parks are expensive; more so in the Summer!

I had to pay a few weeks ago and I think it cost over £4.

Our main bus company is First, which also operates our county's two separate railway routes, under the badges of Great Western Railways and South-East Railways. First seems to operate most of the country's buses and many of its rail franchises, camouflaged by the badges; all helping keep its share price around the £90 - £100 mark. (It was slightly above £100 when I looked a couple of months or so ago, but I don't know what it is now.)

At least you and I have buses, though the services are rather patchy around our borough, with some routes having fewer services and earlier last-bus times than others, in proportion. There are many places around the country that no longer have any public transport links, if they ever had them at all; and I can't see that improving.

Barny52 · 56-60, M

Back in 80s our busses were heavily subsidised by councils they ran a bus every 10 mins all full, yes we paid it out of our council tax , now busses are running empty , very expensive and not subsided yet my council tax never decreased just when up again and again !!

Ceinwyn · 26-30, F

If the routes don’t generate enough revenue, and they can’t afford to lower the tickets under current salary demand and oil prices, this is what happens.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Ceinwyn I'm afraid you're right, though it's been happening for years. It all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as more people are forced to use their cars instead so the bus companies have to try to compensate by cutting services and raising fares, so deterring more passengers....

They've also been hit hard by county councils losing subsidies from "government". Well, no, it's from everyone's taxes actually, not the government; but the councils and their own tax-payers can't afford to make up for it.

A friend who lives in a rural village once told me "it's no place to grow old" - just one bus a week, a farm-shop but no others, no post-office etc.; the nearest town several miles away.

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