Village's subsidised service faces axe

BUS passengers face further cuts to the struggling public transport network, with around 42 subsidised services facing the axe across the region from April.

The service cuts were signed off by the West of England combined authority on January 18, after the region’s political leaders heard how many of the services were crucial in connecting isolated communities and persuading drivers to use public transport instead.

Among the routes facing cuts in South Gloucestershire are the 626 Wotton-under-Edge to Bristol - which is the only current service for Iron Acton - the 622 Chipping Sodbury to Cribbs Causeway and the 202 Chipping Sodbury to Winterbourne.

School services the 963 from Patchway to Winterbourne and 680 North Yate to SGS College Filton will be funded until the end of the school year.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris blamed the leaders of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils for paying the combined authority too small a transport levy, which was less than inflation, so service cuts had to be made.

He said: "We have a real term cut in supported bus services because the levy has not increased. The levy is much lower than in other parts of the country.

"At the moment we have about £20 a head per year for our transport levy, and that compares to the ones at the top of the combined authorities in other parts of the country, that are £60 a head. "There are huge reserves in some of our council areas that could perhaps be used in a way that deals with exactly these concerns, and that’s a political choice."

Mr Norris repeatedly denied that the WEST link minibus services were replacing the subsidised services.

South Gloucestershire