Date published: 2023-07-13 | Category: Roads, travel and transport
Council transport leaders from Bath & North East Somerset and Wiltshire have jointly written to the West of England Mayor Dan Norris urging him to fund the Number 94 service between Trowbridge and Bath.
Councillor Sarah Warren, Bath & North East Somerset Council deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel and Councillor Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for Transport, Street Scene and Flooding, say the mayor has funding at his disposal to save the service.
Councillor Warren said : “Bath and North East Somerset Council as a unitary authority has no significant funding for buses over and above that which is already transferred annually to the West of England Combined Authority as our transport levy. The remainder of our budget is fully committed to other council services such as social care, children's services, which together consume the vast majority of our budgets, housing, parks, waste management and so on, so there is very little remaining for discretionary expenditure such as on buses.
“We are aware, however, that not only has the Combined Authority been awarded £57m for its Bus Service Improvement Plan, it has also been awarded an additional £500k specifically for the support of bus services.
“So we have written to Mayor Norris urging him to use this money to match the funding for the 94 provided by Wiltshire Council to ensure the future of this route.
“This will not only enable our communities to access education, work, healthcare, and make other essential journeys, it will also enable WESTlink service to meet its potential, connecting our more remote communities with mainline routes.”
Councillor Thomas said: “We are working with Bath & North East Somerset Council to save this service which provides a vital link for the villages between Trowbridge and Bath, for education, work and leisure, with around 54% of trips originating from Bath and North East Somerset and 46% from Wiltshire, with King Edwards School being a key destination for many of the trips.
“It seems that the contribution that the West of England Combined Authority make to sustain this route was not considered in the January 2023 Committee, and by default funding was not allocated to it. As a result, Wiltshire Council has been left funding the entire service; however, we are unable to sustain this for much longer given the extent of financial pressures across the entire network in Wiltshire, and particularly in rural areas. It is worth noting Wiltshire were not one of the Local Transport Authorities who received an original Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation.”
The joint letter says that up until this March WECA contributed £54,054, half the total cost, towards the operation of bus service 94 because usage of the current service is split evenly between Wiltshire and B&NES residents, although the main use of the service is by passengers travelling to or from Bath. Since then, the cost of providing the service has increased by 6% and so the amount that each transport authority should be paying for the 2023/4 financial year is £57,297.
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