Bus changes blocked after council steps in
A RAFT of changes to bus services in Sheffield due to be rolled out this month have been blocked by the council.
Despite pleas from the First group that the routes are not commercially viable in the current economic climate, the council said it was "not signing up to cuts".
Without the support of the authority, the suggested changes, scheduled to take effect from July 19, are being suspended.
They include the scaling back of the 86 route to Fulwood through Hunters Bar and Nether Green, which has led to a high profile protest campaign.
First, which is facing a strike by its Sheffield drivers tomorrow (Friday) in an unrelated dispute over pay, has been forced to backtrack under the terms of the Sheffield Bus Agreement it signed with the council and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive in May 2007.
With a shared interest in increasing numbers of passengers, the deal commits the council and the PTE to continuing to push through bus priority measures and First to improving buses and punctuality and keeping down fares. Yet First believes it is getting a raw deal as, for example, the council plans to relax the restrictions at the Hillsborough Corner bus and tram gates so they operate only at peak times.
Now its proposed programme of 28 service changes, which it says would keep down costs and help the company steer through the recession, has been brought to a halt.
First said it wanted to "improve punctuality on some services and to address the issue of less passengers travelling on some bus services in the Sheffield area owing to the changing economic climate".
Brandon Jones, deputy managing director for First in South Yorkshire, said yesterday that the changes were an "appropriate and measured" response to the recession.
Where services were being cut back, it was intended to restore them when economic circumstances improved, he said.
The First package includes cancellations, replacements, new routes and timetable alterations.
The biggest controversy is over the 86 route, resulting in the formation of an action group and the organising of two petitions, which have already attracted several hundred names.
Initially, First intended to withdraw the half-hourly service altogether. Then it said it may instigate an hourly service with no weekend or evening buses, an option rejected by the action group, which was meeting last night.
Critics say the 86 is the only route through Fulwood and Nether Green running direct to Hunters Bar, Ecclesall Road, Moorfoot, Arundel Gate and the rail station.
The action group questions that the route is uneconomic: "How can First even know this? There has been no investment in the service, no marketing of it, and no consultation with local people to find out what the local needs are. No other organisation would make a business decision without trying these things out."
Council leader Paul Scriven defended the authority's refusal to accept the proposed service changes across the city.
"We are saying we are not signing up to cuts in services. In the current economic climate, more people are relying on the buses. What's the point in having an agreement that people keep to in the good times, but not in the bad times?
"This agreement is about protecting bus services. We are on the side of Sheffielders who have told us loud and clear they don't want service cuts and fare increases."
Coun Scriven denied that the council had broken the Sheffield Bus Agreement over bus priority schemes, adding: "I'm prepared to meet them to discuss things further."
Mr Jones said: "The Bus Agreement is still in place and we have got to continue working together."
BUY ONLINE: The Sheffield Telegraph and Property Guide are now out every Thursday. To sign up on line click here.
MORE:
Local News
Local Sport
Arts Guide
Community News
Listings Guide
Restaurant Guide
Letters
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
