Bus routes under threat

VITAL bus links to the Great Western Hospital could be scrapped under proposals to cut spending on concessionary fares.

And children could be forced to pay double, while evening services and unprofitable bus routes could be axed as Swindon Council battles to keep April's council tax rise below 10 per cent.

The stark warning comes from John Owen, managing director of Corporation Street-based Thamesdown Transport, who said his company would be forced to find ways to recoup money.

Swindon's bus operators receive money from the council so children and senior citizens can travel at half-fare. But results of the current borough-wide debate on how much April's council tax increase should be 5 per cent, 7.5 per cent or 10 per cent will go a long way to deciding the future of many services.

Mr Owen said: "Proposals by the council to reduce spending on concessionary fares could lead to a doubling in some bus fares and major cuts to services. If bus operators no longer receive this money they will be forced to find ways to make up the shortfall in income.

"Those who currently pay half-fare would need to be charged full fare effectively a doubling in price for much of the day. However, higher fares lead to people travelling less, so additional cost savings would be needed to balance the books.

"This means cuts in services. Areas that are served by routes that barely cover their costs now, like Penhill Valley, Okus, parts of Old Town and North Swindon, could lose their services completely. Most evening services could disappear and cross-town links to the hospital could be lost."

Visitors who drive to the £150 million GWH, which opened in December 2002, can be fined £30 if they don't buy an 80p-an-hour parking ticket. The hospital has 1,400 parking spaces with 25 per cent reserved for staff, but nurses have complained that is not enough.

In October last year, Thames-down Transport scrapped services from West Swindon, Kingshill and Penhill to the GWH saying fewer passengers were using the services.

Mike Bawden (Old Town and Lawns) leader of the ruling Conservative administration said: "This is all part of the consultation process and I have called for an open and transparent debate. I'm glad John Owen has identified this subject as an area of discussion."

The council gives Thamesdown Transport about £500,000 each year to subsidise children's concessionary fares.

Last year, the company made a £300,000 profit and, against a national trend, carried 6.9 per cent more passengers in the final three months of 2003 compared with the year before.

Liberal Democrat group leader Mike Evemy (Eastcott) said: "The council should not be making cuts because we need more people using public transport. People using cars and causing more congestion is not of benefit to the people of Swindon."

Labour Group leader Kevin Small (Western) echoed these sentiments.

He said: "We're trying to get people to use public transport instead of relying on their cars and this does not help the situation."

To keep the council tax hike to 5 per cent the council needs to find savings of £4.5 million.

Although senior citizens receive statutory travel concessions, campaigner Frank Avenell, of Beckhampton Street, said: "There is no need to cut services provided the council cuts out all its shockingly wasteful expenditure."

The services that are under threat

THE two main routes under threat are the number 15 and 11 services, which run from North Swindon, Greenmeadow and Haydon Wick to the town centre and on to the hospital.

If they are cut there will be no direct link to the GWH from North West Swindon and instead people may have to travel to Swindon, change and then wait for a special Hospital Express bus, which run every 10 minutes.

Mr Owen says that while some services might be cut, express services direct to the hospital from the town centre have become more frequent and now run every 10 minutes.

He said: "Any company needs to make a profit, especially when it faces a £500,000 funding cut. The only thing we can cut is services because there is no fat to trim we are a lean organisation in terms of costs and are therefore faced with no alternative."

Since the GWH opened the council and hospital executives have been keen for staff to adopt more environmentally friendly ways of travelling to work, but that is not always possible for patients.

The Government allocated the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust some £40,000 to help implement alternative transport including a cycle centre with showers and lockers and a staff car share scheme.

Giles Sheldrick