This morning’s Western Mail reports that the cost of Wales’ free bus travel scheme for older people has increased so rapidly that there is no money left over to help teenagers travel to training or jobs.
They say that Assembly Government payments to bus operators for free carriage of over-60s have more than doubled in six years to £66m – while passenger journeys on buses increased by just 7.8%. New figures also indicate that from 2007-08 to 2008-09, there was no increase in passenger journeys in Wales, but the Welsh Government paid 15.8% more to bus firms under the free travel scheme.
Jenny Randerson , the Liberal Democrats’ transport spokesperson expressed the party’s commitment to the scheme. She said: “On the doorstep, the free travel scheme is the one thing that people talk about that the Assembly has done which really made a difference to their lives. You get the financial benefit to pensioners, the social benefit to people who might be more isolated otherwise, and you stimulate bus travel.”
But she added: “It has to be brought into line with retirement age. Women will be retiring at more than 60 in the future.” She said there was “a big argument” for post-16 concessionary fares, but funding was a problem.
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Absolutely correct. Councils funding to bus operators and especially rural bus operators is extravagent .
Problem is a gentlemans club between small bus operators exists to not really compete with each other over certain routes, each route being assigned to a certain company and having a certain amount of subsidy.
The over-friendly relationship between council department of transport and bus companies will mean that the Assembly will have to keep footing the bill, I think it’s councils who really should be looking for better value but in my experience their is no will.