Rural lifeline
IF the bus is the Cinderella of Britain’s public transport system, then the rural bus service is the Cinderella among buses. Forgotten and unloved by bus companies and local councils, who see them as useful only for the subsidy they attract, rural services are nonetheless vital to the communities they serve. And the loss, when they are cut, is keenly felt.
This is why it is so concerning that many local authorities, in their attempts to cut back on spending, are willing to sacrifice evening and weekend services on rural bus routes. However, as today’s Commons Transport Select Committee report points out, the cuts are likely to get even worse next year.
The Government may well say that spending on bus services is a matter for councils, but Ministers must bear some responsibility for the standard of living in rural Britain. Buses offer a lifeline to the elderly and disabled and those on low incomes and it is incumbent on officialdom to consider their quality of life and not merely the quantity of passengers carried by rural buses.