THE clue is in the name — subsidised travel costs money. But providing services like school buses means that councils will need budget increases of more than three times inflation, reports Local Government Chronicle (Nov 23).
The news can mean only one thing, say transport officers — cuts. “The screw has been tightening for years,” says Ian White, a liaison officer at the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers.
Costs have been rising because of drivers’ wages, insurance and higher fuel prices, he says. Rural areas are particularly hard hit and White says that more than half of shire counties expect to make cuts. The Education and Inspection Act will require councils to pay for school transport of up to six miles for pupils whose families get certain social security benefits, and “encourages” councils to lay on transport for students who stay late at school.
So how about a nice, non-subsidised bus? They’re not much cop either, according to Planningresource.co.uk, which reports that Britain has invested up to a fifth less per head of population in transport than France and Germany over the past 30 years. The research is for the All-Party Urban Development Group. Clive Betts, MP, the chair of the group, says that transport funding is “too centralised”.