28/11/2006 - Transforming passenger transport : Cumbria County Council

A new approach to passenger transport in Cumbria was adopted by Cumbria County Council’s cabinet this week.

Cabinet members meeting at St Michael’s Church in Workington today, Tuesday November 28th, approved the findings of a review of the way the county council supports passenger transport in the county.

This year the county council's public transport team spent more than £2.5million supporting bus services and backing other initiatives to make sure people all over the county can reach the services provided for them.

The supported network of some 137 bus routes has grown on an ad hoc basis over several years - the new set of criteria adopted at cabinet will bring consistency to the way support for public transport will be provided in the future.

The passenger transport review focussed on making sure that as many people as possible have a transport link to a key service centre so they can reasonably reach important services such as libraries, family centres and so on but also so they can get to banks, post offices and shopping facilities.

Cabinet’s decision will mean improvements to some services and cuts to others but the aim will be to provide the best possible access to services with the funding available.

The approach adopted is expected to save around £30,000 in 2007/8.

Ian Stewart, county council spokesman on transport and the environment, said: “The changes involved here will include improvements in some services and reductions in others.

"Where such changes take place it is inevitable that there will be people who could be seen as winners and some who could be seen as losers. But we are concentrating our efforts and resources on giving as many people as possible, even in the most rural areas, access to those service centres.

"Sometimes that might mean supporting a conventional bus service in a rural area and sometimes it might mean finding a more efficient and more sustainable alternative such as demand responsive scheme like the Rural Wheels initiative.”

A copy of the cabinet paper is attached to this release.

Notes for Editors

The public transport budget in the county council 2006/7 was £1.1million excluding staffing costs. The money has been used to fund bus routes and support 'community bus' and other transport initiatives. Further funding of around £1.5 million comes from government rural bus grants for subsidising services and 2006/7 saw another £500,000 from government bus challenge schemes spent in Cumbria.

In all the county council spends around £2.5million supporting a total of 137 bus contracts across the county.

Any changes resulting from the approach adopted will come in two stages - September 07 and April 08 because of the timing of bus contract.

The Government is reviewing is funding structure for passenger tranpsort for 07/08. Any changes to passenger transport in Cumbria have to reflect those new structures.

Media enquiries to Justin Hawkins, Media Officer on 01228 606334