The topic of public transport has been somewhat of a sore subject of late, and with the Council’s latest round of budget cuts, the future of well-used buses is unknown.

The West of England’s public transport services have been struggling in recent months, with driver shortages causing timetable issues through the region.

Forty-two bus services are now facing cuts. Due to a funding row, from April these publicly subsidised services will no longer be funded and most likely withdrawn.

Also from April, passengers in many parts of the region will be able to catch new ‘Demand Responsive Transport’ minibus services. The new dial-a-ride West Link minibus services will act almost like a shared Uber, running in Windmill Hill, Knowle, Brislington and St Annes, as well as large parts of North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

The service cuts were signed off by the West of England combined authority on Wednesday, 18th January, after the region’s political leaders heard how many of the services were crucial in connecting isolated communities and persuading drivers to use public transport instead.

The axed bus routes form a huge sixty percent chunk of the region’s total sixty nine subsidised services. However, it is unclear exactly which bus routes are facing the axe in April, and a full and accurate list was not provided in reports to the combined authority meeting.

During the meeting, West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris blamed

the three council leaders — in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset — for paying the combined authority too small a transport levy. Mr Norris said this year’s increase to the transport levy was less than inflation, so service cuts had to be made.

B&NES Council has stepped in to directly protect some supported bus services following the decision by the West of England Combined Authority Committee to stop funding some services from April. The council will continue to fund some supported services outside of Bath until June, to ease the transition to the new arrangements.

What do local figures say?


Dan Norris, West of England Metro Mayor

Referring to the three Councils, Mr Norris said: “It’s their money effectively and they’re saying how it should be spent. That’s not satisfactory from my perspective. We have a real term cut in supported bus services because the levy has not increased. The levy is much lower than in other parts of the country.”

“In future I would like to have precepting powers. I’ve basically been given lists by the unitary authorities of what bus services they’re going to support. With inflation and the same budget being frozen, that inevitably leads to cuts. That’s not acceptable to me but that’s where we are.”

Explaining further, Dan said, “supported services are those buses that are not commercially viable but where there is a community need. Local Councils pay for them through a ‘transport levy’.”

The Councils have agreed an eleven percent real terms decrease in levy spending. The amount spent on levy services has also reduced in cash terms by £1.8 million at a time when the costs of running a bus have significantly increased. This has caused the forty-two cuts.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “Once again less is being invested in West of England bus services than elsewhere.”

“Less money from local Councils means fewer buses. There is no way of getting round that.

“The Councils also specified which buses they would spend that lesser amount of money on and said deal or no deal. I was presented with a one meal menu. The only option was gruel. And that was a half portion.

“I know passengers will be upset not to get the bus services they need and deserve but without more cash from local Councils who are the only ones with tax raising powers there is no way of doing more.”

Separately, Mr Norris is introducing WEST link, a new on demand minibus service designed to connect people to main bus services.

The Mayor stressed: “WEST link is not a replacement for supported buses. Indeed government rules say I cannot spend the money being used for it on existing supported services.”

“It is a new system designed to get people to main transport corridors. I am sure it will be disruptive and there will be teething problems but I hope WEST link will provide a much-needed new public transport option to help people get out and about to their destinations.”

WEST link is being funded by the West of England Combined Authority predominantly using money secured from government through the Bus Service Improvement Plan. The Mayor successfully secured the second highest amount of cash nationwide of this pot of money last year.

Cllr Liz Hardman and Cllr Grant Johnson, Labour representatives for Paulton

“The leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Kevin Guy, voted to cut almost all supported bus services in North East Somerset.”

“At the Combined Authority meeting in Keynsham, he submitted a list of cuts to our supported services in North East Somerset, and said he has deliberately chosen to keep every supported service in Bath. Yes, every one.

“People in Paulton and the surrounding villages will almost be marooned. Around half of the district’s residents do not live in Bath - and all our shops, services and community activities depend on us being able to travel.

“From June, the Bath and North East Somerset Liberal Democrat Council have chosen to cut these lifeline routes: 178, 179, 172 in the evenings, and the 82 which take us to Tesco and the shops in Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Paulton Hospital.”

“You’ll remember how these were all saved by WECA Mayor Dan Norris in September.

“But these ‘supported bus services’ are not in his gift to save - this is a local authority decision where he didn’t even have a vote. Government rules mean - in spite of repeated requests - he can’t spend his new transport funding to save existing routes.

“The Council’s found money for Bath - but not for North East Somerset. At the same time, there is an extra - unplanned - ten million pounds in reserves in BANES. So there’s plenty of money available to save our services. Just not - currently - the political will.”

Both Councillors say to their local constituents,

“Please be assured we will continue to challenge these cuts which treat our residents so unfairly .”

On Friday, Liz said: “I was at Tesco this morning and saw the 82 parked outside. I got on the bus and spoke to the driver. He gave me lots of information: On the 82 they carry between 170 to 200 passengers a day.

“On the return school run at 3.30pm, he’s full. Parents like this service as it is there as the school children come out of school. No waiting around.

“About seventy percent of fares are concessions. However, B&NES concessionary fares budget is underspent and they have decided to raise the budget in the coming budget for 2023/2024”.

Cllr Kevin Guy, leader of B&NES Council

The Journal have reached out to Councillor Kevin Guy for comment. At the time of printing, we did not recieve a response. We will update our readers in next week’s edition if a response is issued.