Funding efforts do not reflect the high value of our bus services, writes Confederation of Passenger Transport President Ralph Roberts
As has been well reported, the government has committed to two years of funding to sustain bus services in England beyond what their current usage would otherwise pay for.
This contrasts with the situation in Scotland, where government funding ended without replacement on 31 March, but ridership there is inflated by the under-22 free travel scheme. There were also various rounds of cuts to services to rebalance networks and this is now hopefully complete.
The under-22 free travel scheme has now left some operators in Scotland with free travel making up more than 50% of their ridership. This is a double-edged sword in many ways.
It has undoubtedly helped save some routes, but it has also seen some politicians use this to campaign for greater public control. These calls, of course, do not acknowledge or consider the realities of vastly increased cost pressures that operators are facing.
Given all the recent pressures with interest rates, fuel forecourt behaviour and food prices, I do wonder why buses have become such a heavy political football up and down the UK.
Wales too has seen an extension to funding but, as I write, the details of how this funding will be applied is unknown.
We are seeing a patchwork-quilt approach to bus policy around the UK. It is difficult to say which approach will work best. What I do know is that if both local and national governments listen to bus users, do what is right in terms of road space allocation, and fund and guide the work accordingly, bus usage would be much healthier than it currently is.
There is an unfair expectation that, in terms of roads management, it is okay to do everything that works against a good bus service but still expect bus operators to somehow continue to supply an unmitigated service.
Against this backdrop, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) is working hard to influence political decision-makers across all parts of the UK. CPT’s consistent calls for more bus priority and traffic management measures need to be heeded in all quarters. This will allow the sector to not only thrive, but make it better equipped to meet different passengers’ needs.
I also note with relief that the upsurge in coach movements through Dover went a lot smoother and this bodes well for the summer holidays. Well done to all involved — I know that CPT was heavily engaged during the last crisis and throughout the late May Bank Holiday weekend just gone.
And… yet more rail strikes. While I would much rather grow the whole of the public transport pie, inter-city coach operators will not be complaining about the upsurge in business as a result. I know that I’m not.
CPT will be shortly consulting members on PSVAR for coaches as a result of the government’s call to evidence on the subject in a few weeks’ time. I would advise members to look out for CPT’s upcoming PSVAR events to have your say. Please do take the time to respond.
CPT has also been involved in lobbying the Migration Advisory Committee for bus drivers to be added to the migration list and we await the results of this work. As we stare down the barrel of summer, we all hope for a bounce in activity and a good year to let us firmly put the pandemic in the rear-view mirror. I wish you all well.
