We’re making the most of our buses – are you?
Value for money underpins all our work at the County Council, whether it’s buying new equipment for schools, awarding multi-million pound contracts, or making the bus subsidy budget benefit the widest number of people possible.
The vast majority of bus services in Hampshire – some 70 per cent – are run on a commercial basis by a number of operators. The remainder are subsidised by the County Council because they aren’t making enough money – put simply, not enough people use them to make them profitable.
Making the money work – a new approach
This means we’ve had to look closely at how best to spend the £5.44 million annual bus subsidy budget.
It might sound like a lot of money – and indeed it is – but we’re being asked to spread it ever more thinly to cover the increasing number of services deemed non-commercial by bus companies across the county.
The County Council is undertaking a series of area reviews taking into account not only the cost to the public purse, but also giving weight to who is affected and whether other services are available to meet essential needs for education and training, work, health treatment and food shopping.
What can you do?
By far the best way to safeguard services though, is to use buses more often so there’s no need to subsidise them in the first place. If it’s been a while since you last used a bus you could well be pleasantly surprised. Modern buses are bright, spacious and comfortable; often have low-floor access for those with pushchairs or a disability; and have much cleaner engines than those of yesteryear. Why not give it a go by using a bus once a week, rather than automatically reaching for the car keys?
Improving things
The County Council is doing its bit too. We’re working with operators to:
improve bus shelters
install raised kerbs for use with low-floor buses
improve timetable information
introduce bus priority measures to help make the journey experience as good as it can be.
Bus companies have bought new vehicles and made improvements to journey times as well the frequency of services.
We’ve had notable success with passenger numbers increasing by nearly half a million because of these measures.
So the message is: We’re making the most of our buses – are you?
Bus, bike or train
Using public transport or pedal power, means less cars on the roads which means less congestion and a better environment for us all. We asked three people who don’t use a car to get to work what they thought:
Bus
Name: Nicky Capell
Journey: Romsey to Winchester on the rail link bus service
Time: 25 minutes
Cost: £3.30 return, Mon. – Fri. (based on £16.50 Gold Rider ticket for seven days)
Comment Spent the whole journey chatting to some new friends I've met on the bus. What's the point in taking my car when it would cost me more and take longer?
Train
Name: Kris Lloyd
Journey: Basingstoke to Winchester
Journey time 18 minutes (timetabled to take 15 minutes)
Cost: £6.20 standard day return
Comment: I used to drive but the train journey is very easy, quicker and comfortable. It certainly beats the daily traffic jams I used to endure!
Bike
Name: Nicola Mayfield
Journey: Twyford to Winchester
Journey time: 20 minutes
Cost: None.
Comment: Cycling is a great way to warm-up at the start of the day and wind-down at the end of the day. I'm finding it the best way to travel as it combines purposeful exercise with good views and a sense of freedom.