Passengers start petition against cuts to their route (From Swindon Advertiser)

I wonder what the criteria was for this decision? Are the public aware of individual susidies on specific routes? Were they consulted on the changes? Were the decisions purely political or were they operational? So many questions so little information. I thought that Thamesdown Transport was owned by the people of Swindon if so who is calling the shots the management or Councillors?

I use the 23 quite a bit now to avoid having to tackle the dreadful White Heart Roundabout which is well overdue for redesigning (a bit like the Turnpike one). One time I was waiting on the bus at Stratton Park, when a woman in a wheelchair with an oxygen cylinder went to board the bus only to be told she would have to wait half an hour until the next one as the bus we were on didn't support wheelchairs! If they give that route the worst buses in the fleet, it's hardly surprising only around seven people use it!

If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it.
The users -----> the payers!

politicrat wrote:
If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

In that case everyone who works in town should pay - look at what happens when we have heavy snow - the last two years everyone left their cars at home and took the buses! All the buses in town were so packed that even if you were lucky to be able to board one, you wouldn't be able to leave it until the corridor crowd left!

rmc001 wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

In that case everyone who works in town should pay - look at what happens when we have heavy snow - the last two years everyone left their cars at home and took the buses! All the buses in town were so packed that even if you were lucky to be able to board one, you wouldn't be able to leave it until the corridor crowd left!

The snow didnt bother me, I have an SUV :-) which I pay for it!!! and it gets me anywhere by pretty much any weather conditions, I do not even care about potholes.
If you want something, you have to pay for it and not expect someone else to fork out for you.
I know that we are in this world where the community expects!! but the reality of these days is that you have duties too!!

politicrat wrote:
If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it.
The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you?
So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh?
.
In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long.
What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you? So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh? . In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long. What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

There is nothing selfish is saying that the users should be the payers, it is logical and fair!
If people want buses they should be prepared to pay for the service. Most of the bus users dont even pay taxes and they moan about the subsidised bus fare increasing to cover the surge in operating costs
Whats next? a taxi service from their door to the bus stop at taxpayer expense!
I think it is time these people wake up and start pulling their own weight.

I am all for public transport, but not at the cost of further taxation which is already suffocating the hard working folks.

Maybe if the free bus passes to those over 60 who are STILL WORKING should be scrapped to subsidise these routes?

Fair enough that those who are over 60 and are retired should have free passes. But people who are still working should not be entitled to it!!!!

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you? So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh? . In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long. What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

There is nothing selfish is saying that the users should be the payers, it is logical and fair!
If people want buses they should be prepared to pay for the service. Most of the bus users dont even pay taxes and they moan about the subsidised bus fare increasing to cover the surge in operating costs
Whats next? a taxi service from their door to the bus stop at taxpayer expense!
I think it is time these people wake up and start pulling their own weight.

I am all for public transport, but not at the cost of further taxation which is already suffocating the hard working folks.

You missed my point completely. Where do you stop with only paying for services you want?
Just as far as council tax is concerned I get very little for what I pay, but I accept that, albeit with slightly gritted teeth.
Many things need to be subsidised and I think that public transport is one of them, in the same way as libraries, police, fire and rescue etc are subsidised by all of us through local taxation.
I wonder what benefits from your council tax do you receive, that I wouldn't be happy so subsidise?

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you? So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh? . In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long. What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

There is nothing selfish is saying that the users should be the payers, it is logical and fair! If people want buses they should be prepared to pay for the service. Most of the bus users dont even pay taxes and they moan about the subsidised bus fare increasing to cover the surge in operating costs Whats next? a taxi service from their door to the bus stop at taxpayer expense! I think it is time these people wake up and start pulling their own weight. I am all for public transport, but not at the cost of further taxation which is already suffocating the hard working folks.

You missed my point completely. Where do you stop with only paying for services you want? Just as far as council tax is concerned I get very little for what I pay, but I accept that, albeit with slightly gritted teeth. Many things need to be subsidised and I think that public transport is one of them, in the same way as libraries, police, fire and rescue etc are subsidised by all of us through local taxation. I wonder what benefits from your council tax do you receive, that I wouldn't be happy so subsidise?

simple and easy, all corporations do it: you pay first and claim it back later.

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you? So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh? . In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long. What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

There is nothing selfish is saying that the users should be the payers, it is logical and fair! If people want buses they should be prepared to pay for the service. Most of the bus users dont even pay taxes and they moan about the subsidised bus fare increasing to cover the surge in operating costs Whats next? a taxi service from their door to the bus stop at taxpayer expense! I think it is time these people wake up and start pulling their own weight. I am all for public transport, but not at the cost of further taxation which is already suffocating the hard working folks.

You missed my point completely. Where do you stop with only paying for services you want? Just as far as council tax is concerned I get very little for what I pay, but I accept that, albeit with slightly gritted teeth. Many things need to be subsidised and I think that public transport is one of them, in the same way as libraries, police, fire and rescue etc are subsidised by all of us through local taxation. I wonder what benefits from your council tax do you receive, that I wouldn't be happy so subsidise?

apart from the 2 refuse collections a month?!? that's pretty much it and in all honestly I wouldn't mind taking my bags to the tip myself and save £150+/month that I pay in council tax. But I guess few people would starve, be homeless and homebound without my cash.
So live it up people lol

Politic rat,
"But I guess few people would starve, be homeless and homebound without my cash.
So live it up people lol
"
Did you really laugh out loud when you wrote that?

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you? So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh? . In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long. What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

There is nothing selfish is saying that the users should be the payers, it is logical and fair! If people want buses they should be prepared to pay for the service. Most of the bus users dont even pay taxes and they moan about the subsidised bus fare increasing to cover the surge in operating costs Whats next? a taxi service from their door to the bus stop at taxpayer expense! I think it is time these people wake up and start pulling their own weight. I am all for public transport, but not at the cost of further taxation which is already suffocating the hard working folks.

You missed my point completely. Where do you stop with only paying for services you want? Just as far as council tax is concerned I get very little for what I pay, but I accept that, albeit with slightly gritted teeth. Many things need to be subsidised and I think that public transport is one of them, in the same way as libraries, police, fire and rescue etc are subsidised by all of us through local taxation. I wonder what benefits from your council tax do you receive, that I wouldn't be happy so subsidise?

apart from the 2 refuse collections a month?!? that's pretty much it and in all honestly I wouldn't mind taking my bags to the tip myself and save £150+/month that I pay in council tax. But I guess few people would starve, be homeless and homebound without my cash.
So live it up people lol

And if you did that and your house caught fire, then would you be happy to pay the full costs of the fire brigade turning out - or would you stand back and watch it burn? Good luck on getting house insurance on that basis. The same would apply if you were burgled or attacked. Don't expect any help from the police. Drive on roads owned and maintained (however badly) by the council? That will cost you extra. I'd object most strongly if you were to drive on the roads paid for by me.
.
Oh, by the way, the tip is council owned. You'd have to pay to dump your rubbish there - LOL

If I remember correctly, Thamesdown Transport made £35,000 last year from people who didn't have the exact fare on them as a result of their no change policy. Now I can only assume that they will have made a fair amount again this year from this policy of daylight robbery, so couldn't that be used to fund the services that are being cut or has that just been conveniently forgotten and pocketed?

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote:

Always Grumpy wrote:

politicrat wrote: If people want a bus then they can have their council tax bill adjusted to pay for it. The users -----> the payers!

You complete muppet, you haven't got a clue have you? So, you only pay for services etc. you use or want eh? . In that I don't want a penny of my taxes to go on foreign aid, especially to any islamic country. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the royal family. I don't want a penny of my taxes to support the unemployed. I don't use the libraries, so why should I pay for them as well. I could go on, and the list would be pretty long. What a good job selfish people like you aren't in charge of anything. Public transport is a SERVICE and should be supported by taxation in the same way everything else is.

There is nothing selfish is saying that the users should be the payers, it is logical and fair! If people want buses they should be prepared to pay for the service. Most of the bus users dont even pay taxes and they moan about the subsidised bus fare increasing to cover the surge in operating costs Whats next? a taxi service from their door to the bus stop at taxpayer expense! I think it is time these people wake up and start pulling their own weight. I am all for public transport, but not at the cost of further taxation which is already suffocating the hard working folks.

You missed my point completely. Where do you stop with only paying for services you want? Just as far as council tax is concerned I get very little for what I pay, but I accept that, albeit with slightly gritted teeth. Many things need to be subsidised and I think that public transport is one of them, in the same way as libraries, police, fire and rescue etc are subsidised by all of us through local taxation. I wonder what benefits from your council tax do you receive, that I wouldn't be happy so subsidise?

apart from the 2 refuse collections a month?!? that's pretty much it and in all honestly I wouldn't mind taking my bags to the tip myself and save £150+/month that I pay in council tax. But I guess few people would starve, be homeless and homebound without my cash. So live it up people lol

And if you did that and your house caught fire, then would you be happy to pay the full costs of the fire brigade turning out - or would you stand back and watch it burn? Good luck on getting house insurance on that basis. The same would apply if you were burgled or attacked. Don't expect any help from the police. Drive on roads owned and maintained (however badly) by the council? That will cost you extra. I'd object most strongly if you were to drive on the roads paid for by me. . Oh, by the way, the tip is council owned. You'd have to pay to dump your rubbish there - LOL

Roads I pay Road Tax for that
Police I am quite happy to have a private patrol in my neighbourhood
Firebrigade thats a good point and the only good thing about council tax
paying to dump my rubbish I do not mind either
Like I said I am more than happy to pay for what I use.
I think the level of taxation hs too high nowadays and the amount paid out is concentrated to a few that could well be off the payroll of the State:-) if you know what I mean...

I Too wrote:
...........Oh, by the way, the tip is council owned. You'd have to pay to dump your rubbish there - LOL Not to mention that this website is also paid for by someone else. So if you are so against communal facilities, Politikraut, perhaps you shouldn't post on here either. in any case, weren,t you moving to China?

This site is privately owned you idiot.

politicrat wrote:
.........."Roads I pay Road Tax for that
Police I am quite happy to have a private patrol in my neighbourhood
Firebrigade thats a good point and the only good thing about council tax
paying to dump my rubbish I do not mind either
Like I said I am more than happy to pay for what I use.
I think the level of taxation hs too high nowadays and the amount paid out is concentrated to a few that could well be off the payroll of the State:-) if you know what I mean..."
.
I think what you would want would cost you far more than the £150 you said you paid a month in Council Tax. Bit naive of you to think that road tax is used to pay for the roads around Swindon.

Retired at last wrote:
politicrat wrote: .........."Roads I pay Road Tax for that Police I am quite happy to have a private patrol in my neighbourhood Firebrigade thats a good point and the only good thing about council tax paying to dump my rubbish I do not mind either Like I said I am more than happy to pay for what I use. I think the level of taxation hs too high nowadays and the amount paid out is concentrated to a few that could well be off the payroll of the State:-) if you know what I mean..." . I think what you would want would cost you far more than the £150 you said you paid a month in Council Tax. Bit naive of you to think that road tax is used to pay for the roads around Swindon.

I always been a partisan of the black box to be fitted on cars and to be taxed as you drive.
In the same way that I always wanted to have a water meter....
I know it is very hard for most swindonians to understand but paying for what you actually use is a great idea:-)

politicrat wrote:

I Too wrote: ...........Oh, by the way, the tip is council owned. You'd have to pay to dump your rubbish there - LOL Not to mention that this website is also paid for by someone else. So if you are so against communal facilities, Politikraut, perhaps you shouldn't post on here either. in any case, weren,t you moving to China?

This site is privately owned you idiot.

Of course I'm an idiot. I do come from Swindon after all.
Private or not, it is still paid for by someone else.
By your own definition, you shold not be on here, because YOU do not pay for it. Idiot.
Again,when are you moving to China?
LOL

One bus a hour is silly, and the fact the last bus back is 3:45pm from okus is crazy, if the busses to okus went back to every half hour then it would not be so bad, at least till 5pm. I go to the doctors in Okus weekly and I can get a bus up there ok but when I've finished I have to walk to Prospect and wait for a bus there. It's just not fare on the people, especailly the elderly and the disabeld. What we need is a half hour service like it used to be, from at least 9am till 5pm. I think the bus company should re-think the changes and ask the public what they'd want to happen.