Elderly and disabled ‘isolated and abandoned’ by South Bristol bus cuts

A neighbourhood which is home to many elderly and disabled people in South Bristol has been “abandoned, isolated and forgotten” by recent bus cuts.

Since April people living in Ashton Vale have been cut off from public transport after the 23 bus service was scrapped.

One resident of Ashton Vale urged councillors and the metro mayor to try pushing her wheelchair-bound husband to the nearest bus stop over half a mile away themselves, so that they “can see how difficult” daily life is for the many elderly and disabled people living there.

Bernice McKendrick told councillors on the growth and regeneration scrutiny commission at Bristol City Council on Monday that one couple living in Ashton Vale with early onset dementia have “not been out” since the 23 was cut, now unable to find their way.

She said: “We have had no bus for eight months and winter is now coming. Your decisions have left a whole community cut off from normal life.

“(West of England mayor) Dan Norris is meant to be a transport mayor, but he’s more interested in stopping buses. We are struggling to do normal things like shopping, going to doctors, to dentists.

“Do you go shopping? Do you go to the cinema? Do you go to cafes? Do you meet friends? We can’t do this, we have to pay for taxis just to go to the shops. The government has provided extra funding for areas like ours but we are left without a bus.”

The 23 bus was one of many services scrapped in April across the West of England region, covering Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset. These services used to be subsidised by local councils, through the West of England Combined Authority.

But due to huge inflation in the bus industry and massive pressure on council budgets, the three councils did not increase the subsidies in line with what was needed to keep all of the services afloat.

Meanwhile some council leaders said the combined authority should step in and help fund services which were socially important but unprofitable, like in Ashton Vale.

McKendrick told councillors and council bosses in the scrutiny commission that she held both them and Norris and his combined authority responsible for scrapping the 23 bus.

She also criticised new West of England schemes such as giving people free bus travel during the month of their birthday, and the demand-responsive transport West Link minibuses.

She said: “Do we not count? Do we not deserve to have a life? Our transport mayor has spent millions to run the birthday bus scheme and millions to run West Link — which is a glorified taxi service, and when people do manage to use it they’re left stranded when they need to get home.

“Our mayor has just paid £10,000 to have his picture put on buses, but refuses to sort out the mess that he has made of our bus service. That £10,000 would have paid for us to have a bus for two months.

“I have invited Dan Norris down to Langley Crescent to walk down to Ashton Gate and to explain to the residents why they are being abandoned, isolated and forgotten.

Ashton Vale lies on the western edge of Bedminster and is a very long walk from the closest shopping centres on North Street and East Street, too far for many of the elderly and disabled people who live in the neighbourhood.

Their closest bus service is now the 24, which runs along Winterstoke Road, and some residents have to walk over half a mile to their stop.

Kendrick said :“There is a couple who live in Ashton Vale who both have early-onset dementia. They knew they could catch that 23 bus, go to Bedminster a few times a week to do their shopping and have a coffee and come home. Because with dementia, you know your own routes.

“They haven’t been out since April because they are frightened to walk up that road. Their bus stop was two minutes away. This is what you have done to them. These are the people who are just being ignored.

“How can one man destroy a whole community? I do not know. And be allowed to do so? My husband is now not able to go out unless we can afford taxis to go here, there and everywhere.

“What do you say to him, a man who has served in the army for 25 years? He feels that he’s now on a rubbish tip, because basically nobody cares.

The West of England metro mayor blamed the cancellation of the 23 service on First Bus, the company running the majority of buses in Bristol. However, First Bus previously told reporters that they could no longer afford to run the service “without financial support from the combined authority”.

The West of England is the regional transport authority and, along with local councils, is responsible for subsidised bus services which are “socially necessary”.

The subsidies provided to companies like First Bus are supposed to pay for services such as the 23 in Ashton Vale, which don’t make a profit but are still relied upon by many passengers.

Responding to McKendrick’s comments, Norris said: “Ashton Vale residents are understandably frustrated that the number 23 bus was withdrawn by First West of England. This was a commercial decision taken by the operator. Buses are a complicated funding and regulatory jigsaw.

“Using the pot of cash for transport I specifically control, I’ve done things like introduce Bristol’s £2 flat bus fare — four months before the government followed suit — and introduced Birthday Buses to encourage new people onto our buses.

“This really matters, as it’s the only long-term solution to build the sustainable bus network locals deserve. I would also encourage communities to explore the mayoral combined authority’s £2m WESTlocal fund for hyper-local transport solutions.”

Main photo: Ella Calland

Read next:

• Daren Jones: Buses less reliable since First Bus promised improvements
• Petition launched to ‘reclaim Bristol’s buses’
• Documentary explores class, prejudice and pride in south Bristol estate

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