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Is this the last stop for buses? (From Swindon Advertiser)
Get involved! Send photos, video, news & views. Text SWINDON NEWS to 80360 or email us
Calls for services to be protected from cut
6:10pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in News By David Wiles
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Coun Nadine Watts at the no 22 bus stop, which may be affected by cuts
CONCERNS have been raised about the future of two bus services after Swindon Council voted to halve subsidies in a bid to create a fully commercial bus network across the borough.
In October, cabinet approved the basic principles for creating a new local bus strategy.
This will see the council and bus operators working together to ensure the network is sustainable in the long term in response to increasing costs and reduced Government support. It is currently 95 per cent commercial.
At the budget meeting in February, the full council agreed to slash annual subsidies from £400,000 to £200,000 to help close a £15m budget gap in 2013/14.
A total of 15 routes are subsidised and Swindon Council is looking at the services, with the aim of introducing a re-designed network in September.
But Couns Nadine Watts (Lab, Old Town) and Julian Price (Lab, Covingham and Dorcan) are calling for the number 21, 22 and 25 bus services to be saved.
The 22 service runs from Fleming Way, via old Town, to the Link Centre, and is part of a contract including the 25 bus service, which is the same as the 22 but also goes to Windmill Hill.
Coun Watts said: “The number 22 and 25 bus services are relied upon by many local residents in Old Town and in particular Okus. Cutting these bus services would have an adverse effect on my constituents and in particular the elderly, as there would be no alternative services they could use.
“People also rely on using this service to get transported to the Old Town doctors surgery.”
She said she would meet with Thamesdown Transport to see what options are available to help retain bus services going through Old Town and Okus, which take an annual subsidy of more than £100,000.
The 21 service, which costs £15,000 annually to operate, calls at Penhill, Pinehurst, Ferndale, Gorse Hill, Ocotal Way, Fleming Way, Greenbridge, Covingham, Coleview and Stratton Park.
Coun Price said: “While this service is by no means perfect, it does give bus users in Coleview and Covingham the opportunity to shop at Gablecross and is very accessible for people in my area to get to the town centre.”
Coun Keith Williams, cabinet member for leisure and strategic transport, said the council would work with operators to design the best service available for £200,000.
He said: “Nothing is sacrosanct.
“We have to look at ensuring we’re providing the best and it may be the service that comes out of this doesn’t look like anything that’s currently provided.”
Comments(9)
DLP OldTown
says...
10:47am Fri 15 Mar 13
A.Baron-Cohen
says...
11:28am Fri 15 Mar 13
eucalyptus
says...
1:10pm Fri 15 Mar 13
Always Grumpy
says...
1:54pm Fri 15 Mar 13
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Wrong again, as usual.
This town already spends 33% of its total budget on supporting older people, I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners.
I know it must be difficult for you but if you cannot get the facts right, then do not post such rubbish.
The 33% is "support for older people and adults with special needs".
That would be people over 18 and not necessarily pensioners. Once again you conveniently fail to include 22% spent on young people. What a two faced little moron you are.
"I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners."
I don't think it's necessary or fair to use MY money on subsidising immigrants, the bone idle, large families etc. either. At least pensioners with bus passes have largely contributed something to society unlike your precious immigrants, such as yourself.
Your distorted views really are quite obnoxious poliprat.
A.Baron-Cohen
says...
2:28pm Fri 15 Mar 13
Always Grumpy wrote:I will let you convince the audience of the Economic benefits of having to support an increasingly ageing population.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Wrong again, as usual.
This town already spends 33% of its total budget on supporting older people, I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners.
I know it must be difficult for you but if you cannot get the facts right, then do not post such rubbish.
The 33% is "support for older people and adults with special needs".
That would be people over 18 and not necessarily pensioners. Once again you conveniently fail to include 22% spent on young people. What a two faced little moron you are.
"I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners."
I don't think it's necessary or fair to use MY money on subsidising immigrants, the bone idle, large families etc. either. At least pensioners with bus passes have largely contributed something to society unlike your precious immigrants, such as yourself.
Your distorted views really are quite obnoxious poliprat.
This could get you a Nobel Prize.
Always Grumpy
says...
4:00pm Fri 15 Mar 13
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:There never will be much in the way of an economic benefit from old people, most people with sense can see that - not you obviously.
Always Grumpy wrote:I will let you convince the audience of the Economic benefits of having to support an increasingly ageing population.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Wrong again, as usual.
This town already spends 33% of its total budget on supporting older people, I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners.
I know it must be difficult for you but if you cannot get the facts right, then do not post such rubbish.
The 33% is "support for older people and adults with special needs".
That would be people over 18 and not necessarily pensioners. Once again you conveniently fail to include 22% spent on young people. What a two faced little moron you are.
"I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners."
I don't think it's necessary or fair to use MY money on subsidising immigrants, the bone idle, large families etc. either. At least pensioners with bus passes have largely contributed something to society unlike your precious immigrants, such as yourself.
Your distorted views really are quite obnoxious poliprat.
This could get you a Nobel Prize.
However, just because someone gets old doesn't mean they should then suffer a reduction in their quality of life just to support immigrants (such as yourself), benefit scroungers and the feckless etc..
No doubt your way would be to have us all put down!
You really have so much to learn about this country. But, as a typical extremist immigrant, you want everyone in MY country to change to your twisted way of life and views.
Well, it ain't going to happen sunshine. If you don't like it, then clear off back to where you crawled from - you won't be missed.
A.Baron-Cohen
says...
9:24am Mon 18 Mar 13
Always Grumpy wrote:You are making a lot of assumptions about myself...which are irrelevant to the debate.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:There never will be much in the way of an economic benefit from old people, most people with sense can see that - not you obviously.
Always Grumpy wrote:I will let you convince the audience of the Economic benefits of having to support an increasingly ageing population.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Wrong again, as usual.
This town already spends 33% of its total budget on supporting older people, I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners.
I know it must be difficult for you but if you cannot get the facts right, then do not post such rubbish.
The 33% is "support for older people and adults with special needs".
That would be people over 18 and not necessarily pensioners. Once again you conveniently fail to include 22% spent on young people. What a two faced little moron you are.
"I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners."
I don't think it's necessary or fair to use MY money on subsidising immigrants, the bone idle, large families etc. either. At least pensioners with bus passes have largely contributed something to society unlike your precious immigrants, such as yourself.
Your distorted views really are quite obnoxious poliprat.
This could get you a Nobel Prize.
However, just because someone gets old doesn't mean they should then suffer a reduction in their quality of life just to support immigrants (such as yourself), benefit scroungers and the feckless etc..
No doubt your way would be to have us all put down!
You really have so much to learn about this country. But, as a typical extremist immigrant, you want everyone in MY country to change to your twisted way of life and views.
Well, it ain't going to happen sunshine. If you don't like it, then clear off back to where you crawled from - you won't be missed.
You have the right to express yourself, however, I would like to remind you that you should be a little more careful when expressing your xenophobic views.
Always Grumpy
says...
12:35pm Mon 18 Mar 13
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:I assume my assumptions are true then! Nothing xenophobic about them either.
Always Grumpy wrote:You are making a lot of assumptions about myself...which are irrelevant to the debate.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:There never will be much in the way of an economic benefit from old people, most people with sense can see that - not you obviously.
Always Grumpy wrote:I will let you convince the audience of the Economic benefits of having to support an increasingly ageing population.
A.Baron-Cohen wrote:Wrong again, as usual.
This town already spends 33% of its total budget on supporting older people, I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners.
I know it must be difficult for you but if you cannot get the facts right, then do not post such rubbish.
The 33% is "support for older people and adults with special needs".
That would be people over 18 and not necessarily pensioners. Once again you conveniently fail to include 22% spent on young people. What a two faced little moron you are.
"I do not think it is necessary nor fair to continue with further transport subsidies for pensioners."
I don't think it's necessary or fair to use MY money on subsidising immigrants, the bone idle, large families etc. either. At least pensioners with bus passes have largely contributed something to society unlike your precious immigrants, such as yourself.
Your distorted views really are quite obnoxious poliprat.
This could get you a Nobel Prize.
However, just because someone gets old doesn't mean they should then suffer a reduction in their quality of life just to support immigrants (such as yourself), benefit scroungers and the feckless etc..
No doubt your way would be to have us all put down!
You really have so much to learn about this country. But, as a typical extremist immigrant, you want everyone in MY country to change to your twisted way of life and views.
Well, it ain't going to happen sunshine. If you don't like it, then clear off back to where you crawled from - you won't be missed.
You have the right to express yourself, however, I would like to remind you that you should be a little more careful when expressing your xenophobic views.
Is that yet another threat you're making? Are you going to back up those threats?
Everything I said about you still stands - so what are you going to do?
No access to a computer at weekends then? Does your employer know you use his computer system to issue threats over the internet?
Oh dear, not looking good for you is it?
rmc001 says...
9:45am Fri 15 Mar 13
It's a shame the no 22 service is going, it means all future trips to Old Town will be a trip to Fleming Way, followed by a wait in a freezing cold bus shelter with no glass for a no 11 to come along!
At this rate we will end up with no bus services at all in Swindon, so why are they clamping down on car drivers using bus lanes (Of course, I forgot, it's not about services, it's how much money you can squeeze out of the public by turning buses into sardine tins and and a new way of fining people for driving cars!)