MP claims cuts to bus services are “unacceptable”

Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson has described cuts to bus services as “unacceptable” and has welcomed proposals to change the way bus services are provided in Merseyside.

The MP met with Merseytravel chair Cllr Liam Robinson to discuss the opportunities offered by the Bus Services Act, which will make it easier for local transport authorities to improve bus services.

The MP said the Bus Services Act should give Merseytravel greater powers to decide which services should be operating.

Mr Esterson said: “Deregulation of the buses under the Conservative Government of the 1980s has been a disaster for passengers, especially on lesser-used routes that are not profit-making.

“Services which people rely on to get to work, school and hospital appointments have been cut severely over the last eight years and I want a service based on need not profit. Buses have been the poor relation of public transport for too long and I hope that the Bus Services Act will mean we can see proper bus services for the whole of Sefton. We have seen bus routes axed over the last nine years of Conservative/Lib-Dem government and those cuts have not served my constituents well at all. Residents in Maghull, Lydiate, Melling and Aintree have seen bus services decline and this simply won’t do. That’s why I am very pleased to see Merseytravel consulting on our bus system and how it could be improved with the new law. We need to reverse the cuts as well but the change in the law is an important first step.”

Some bus services are subsidised by local authorities but funding for supported buses has halved since 2010, according to the Campaign for Better Transport. 

Local authority bus budgets in England and Wales were cut by £20.5 million in 2018 alone.

A number of high profile national research programmes have shown what is important in providing a good service to bus users, including: joined up whole-journey provision; locally appropriate evidenced and monitored solutions; high quality, consistent and readily available information; and punctual and reliable services. 

Mr Esterson added: “Evidence shows that 70 per cent of  bus users come from households with incomes under £20,000 a year and 84 percent from households with no access to a car. Many are elderly and they rely on buses to decrease isolation and to get to hospital appointments.

“Many others are young people who need the bus to get to school, university or work. It makes economic sense to provide a comprehensive reliable bus service which we would all benefit from.”

Labour announced last year that under 25s would have free bus travel under a Labour government, which would be paid for by ring-fenced cash arising from road tax. The party said local authorities who moved to introduce public ownership of bus services or franchising would be given the funds to provide free travel. The scheme would incentivise councils to create municipally owned bus companies.

Bill Esterson MP said: “Buses are vital for easing road congestion and air pollution, but for too long private bus companies have run our services for profit not people. I’m optimistic about the opportunities offered by the Bus Services Act. Passengers want better services in Sefton Central, they want reliability, they want buses to take the routes they need, and they need government to stop cutting services. I agree with them.”