Wiltshire County Council is set to put another £400,000 into funding public transport this year but will cut a number of small rural services (link below.)
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/4150618.County_cuts_rural_bus_services_in_Wiltshire/#show The budget for supported bus services in 2009/10 will increase to £5.1 million, a rise of 9 percent.
The increase is needed to keep pace with the cost of operating transport services, which has risen steadily across the UK for several years.
Changes include:
- withdrawal of the Malmesbury area Connect 2 Wiltshire evening taxi service, which will make its last run on Saturday, March 28.
- the Pewsey - Devizes rail link and the Marlborough – Devizes taxibus, will be merged. Although both Connect 2 Wiltshire routes will still be served, there will be fewer journeys on each.
- the Calne Town Taxi Buzz will also cease running on March 30, although the town bus service continues and will provide an alternative way of getting into the town centre.
All three are experimental services which were put on in response to local requests. So, unfortunately, although they are popular with users, they are expensive to run and the county council believes the cost cannot be justified for the number of people travelling.
Quote from Fleur de Rhe-Philipe:
“We are very supportive of the need to maintain good public transport services, which are an essential part of our sustainable transport strategy. However, we need to balance this against cost, and make sure that we are using our money to provide those services that bring the greatest help to the most people.”
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