Cutting bus services is a ‘vicious circle’, warns Conservative group leader

The Conservative group leader has warned that upcoming reductions to bus services across Bristol could result in a “vicious circle” where services are further withdrawn.

Mark Weston’s comments come following an announcement that a number of bus services across Bristol will be stripped back or removed altogether as of October.

First West of England said the rationale for no longer running certain services is so that resources can be “better focused on building resilience into the remaining parts of the network, which will start from Oct 9”, when passengers “should see an improvement”.

Weston is councillor for Henbury and Brentry, where the proposed cutbacks will see an amended timetable for services 1, 2, 3 and 4.

“I think we’re going to see fewer buses and they’ll be less reliable,” he told Bristol24/7. “And this is part of the problem where you end up with a vicious circle.”

He added: “If the buses are less frequent and less reliable, then they’ll be used by less people meaning you can’t afford the services because patronage falls again. My fear is that this will happen if we carry on this way.”

Buses 1, 2, 3 and 4 will have an amended timetable from October

Residents across Henbury are also concerned by the upcoming cutbacks.

Pat, a 76-year-old local resident, said: “The local buses are unreliable as it is. Sometimes you wait hours for a bus and then two turn up. It must be a nightmare for commuters”.

Siobhan, a commuter who relies on two to three separate buses to attend meetings, said: “The buses barely run anyway so I’m not even sure [the cutbacks] will make much difference. We need more reliability with the buses so people can trust them.”

Shortly after making these comments, Siobhan abandoned her commute. With heavy traffic in the area and no bus coming for at least half an hour, she won’t make her morning meeting and so resigns to working from home.

23-year-old mother of two Charli relies on four buses to get her children to and from school each day, regularly taking an early service as she can’t trust the schedule once rush hour really sets in.

“Any further reductions [to the bus service] will be terrible for the community”, she said.

“People are already having to wait over an hour for some services or are walking long distances because of closures.”

“This is going to be really tough when winter comes, especially if they cut back more routes. But most people don’t have another option.”

From 25/9, we’re making changes to our fares, which includes reductions on key tickets made possible by funding from @WestofEnglandCA and @NorthSomersetC.

There are reduced Single & Return tickets and kids will travel anywhere for £1. For full details see https://t.co/Lkvepdy1sj pic.twitter.com/8pbDG4caO3

— First West of England (@FirstBSA) September 21, 2022

Doug Claringbold, managing director of First West of England, said: “The very last thing any transport operator wants to do is reduce or cut any services.

“We recognise the impact these changes will have on some of our communities, and we are truly sorry for those who will be affected.

“We’ve actively engaged with local authorities to try to keep these services running.

“We had high hopes that, as we moved beyond the pandemic and Covid restrictions, we would see a stronger recovery in bus use.

“Unfortunately, the world has changed more than we predicted and we are still seeing a significantly lower level of bus use, as well as different travel patterns across our network.

On top of this, like the rest of the bus industry and other sectors, we are operating against the backdrop of rising business costs and labour shortages that are particularly acute in our area.”

Weston hopes the current bus crisis will trigger a conversation about how to improve public transport in Bristol.

He said: “There’s a massive potential in a suburban railway. It doesn’t help all areas, but it helps a lot – and it’s a darn side cheaper than wasting money on an underground that’ll never happen”.

“We have to fight this on two fronts”, he added. “We need to push on rail, but we also need to push on buses.”

“But if we keep cutting services you’ll have less patronage, which will be the excuse for cutting services even more – and that’s not the way to do this.”

All photos: Max Roche

Read next:

• Cheaper bus fares coming soon
• Petition to save ‘lifeline’ Bristol bus service
• Parents protest ‘derogatory treatment’ of pupils at school gates
• New Bristol restaurant in Michelin guide

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: