On the buses

WITH Yorkshire's railways still suffering the consequences of the Beeching cuts nearly 50 years ago, it is imperative that the same short-sighted mistakes are not repeated with local bus services.

By The Newsroom

Published 12th Jul 2010, 13:43 BST

Updated 12th Jul 2010, 13:43 BST

One of the next victims of this Government's austerity agenda could be the Bus Service Operators Grant – a mechanism that enables companies to reclaim the cost of their fuel duty in order to keep fares down.

Yet, while every aspect of public spending needs to be studied, it is imperative that Ministers consider the consequences of their decision-making. The mantra from politicians of all persuasions is that they want to be keep car usage to a minimum.

Yet it is difficult to see how this will be achieved if bus services are scaled pack, particularly in those rural communities where services only exist because of subsidies, or fares are no longer affordable.

The reality is that the people who will pay the heaviest price for bus

cuts are the poorest members of society – the very people that this Government has supposedly promised to protect during the downturn.

Yorkshire Government