Reduction of Local Bus Service Subsidies – Financial Year 2019\20
Shropshire Council has launched a six-week consultation into proposed reductions to its public transport budget, which would see a reduction in the number and frequency of bus services subsidised by the Council.
The Council’s financial strategy for 2019/20 includes a budget reduction of £405,000 in public transport and £50,000 for Shrewsbury Park & Ride. To achieve these reductions a number of initiatives will have to be implemented and this consultation asks for views about these proposed changes.
The details of these proposals are provided below;
Public Transport – Those services financially supported by the Council.
To help identify the £405k budget reduction we requested that all our bus operators providing Local Bus Services on behalf of the Council, provide details of the level of service that they could provide on each of these services with a reduction in funding.
In the majority of cases this will represent a reduced timetable on each of the services the Council supports, details of how this will impact individual services is shown in the table at the bottom of this letter.
Shrewsbury Park & Ride
To achieve the budget reduction of £50k set out in the Council’s 2019/20 financial strategy, we are proposing to undertake the following;
- To remove the concessionary fare discount that allows passengers on presentation of their concessionary card to travel for a 50% discount, this discount is currently provided at the Councils discretion.
- To increase the return fare for the service from its current level of £1.60 to £2.00.
- To remove the Group ticket from Park & Ride which allows for up to 5 passengers to travel for the price of £2.50.
The consultation runs from 25 March to 6 May 2019 and can be found at www.shropshiure.gov.uk
Any responses to this consultation should be emailed to passtrans@shropshire.gov.uk or in writing to:
Public Transport Consultation
Passenger Transport Services
Shropshire Council
Shirehall
Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury
SY2 6ND
All responses to the consultation will be included in a report that will be considered by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 22 May 2019.
Whittington Parish Council 