Protest planned to ‘reclaim our buses’

Campaigners are demanding buses are taken under public control amid sweeping cuts to Bristol services.

Residents have written an open letter to ‘reclaim our buses’ and run them as a public service by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

Currently nearly 10,000 people have signed the letter arguing that the axes buses will impact “the most vulnerable”.

“These changes to local bus services are making many residents genuinely fearful that people of all ages and abilities will be cut off from vital facilities they need to live well,” it states.

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First Bus announced on Wednesday that hundreds of journeys every week across Bristol are being cancelled until April 2023 at the earliest.

The operator said it regretted the cuts but that it was struggling with driver shortages.

“We regret having to do this as we appreciate it will cause some disruption, but by giving customers advance notice of cancellations rather than having to learn of them on the day, we want to make it easier for travel plans to be adjusted,” First said.

“Cancelling these journeys in advance also enables our operations teams to focus on delivering a more reliable service for our customers, rather than dealing with cancelling journeys on the day.”

First Bus announced it is cancelling almost 1,500 bus journeys a week in the Bristol region as it does not have enough drivers to maintain its timetable – photo: Max Roche

The ‘reclaim our buses’ campaign group said: “The private bus companies are entirely profit-driven, so they’re justifying the bus cuts with the falling passenger numbers, rising fuel and wage costs, and driver shortages that make the services unprofitable with no regard for the public need.”

Its open letter outlines the impact of bus services to residents, including:

• “The elderly are disproportionally affected as they often lack access to private vehicles, their health increasingly limits their ability to drive and move around, and, so, buses become a critical service.
• “Many disabilities and medical conditions result in serious mobility issues making it harder to gain a driving license and makes bus services an essential part of day-to-day living.
• “Children and young people are unable to drive and encouraging them to use public transport and sustainable transport options, e.g. walking and cycling, has been proved to create a lifelong habit of opting for active and healthier travel choices.
• “Obtaining a licence and driving are often a barrier for people whose native tongue isn’t English.”

It calls on metro mayor Dan Norris to suspend the deregulated bus market and provide a franchised bus service under contract through the WECA.

The group is holding a demonstration on December 14 on Kingswood High Street.

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read next:

• ‘When I take the First Bus gamble, I tend to lose’
• Axed buses branded ‘the collapse of Bristol’s public transport system’
• Portishead railway line gets go-ahead from secretary of state

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