Protesters join forces to fight bus service cuts

Published on Wednesday 13 December 2006 11:44

CAMPAIGNERS are joining forces to make recent cutbacks in bus services a key issue at next year's local elections.

Throughout 2006, the frequency of some less popular bus routes has been slashed - sparking anger in a number of communities.

Most of the services are used mainly by pensioners, and were previously subsidised by the city council. Lothian Buses struggles to manage the routes on a commercial basis because there are not enough paying passengers.

However, residents are furious and are pressing the bus operator, the city council and the Scottish Executive to help return services to previous levels. At least five petitions have already been organised across the city, and various groups are now uniting under the banner "Bring Back Our Buses".

They want candidates at next year's local and parliamentary elections to pledge to back their campaign.

Long-standing community campaigner Tina Woolnough, who has been fighting against cutbacks in her role as chairwoman of the Blackhall Community Association, is spearheading the protest. She said: "We are e-mailing community councils and groups, asking that they sign our e-petition, which has been lodged with the Scottish Parliament.

"We believe that the bus route development fund provided by the Scottish Executive is far too restrictive and our petition calls for more funding for bus services. We are also jointly asking Lothian Buses and the city council why less profitable sections of routes and entire routes are being axed now, contrary to environmental, transport and social inclusion policies.

"Edinburgh residents feel very loyal to Lothian Buses because it is council-owned and because we perceived that they provided a public service, rather than operating as a hard-nosed, profit-driven company. What is the advantage of a council-owned bus company if the service element is removed? We will be calling on all candidates in 2007 to make this an election issue."

So far this year, the number 13 route through Blackhall has been curtailed, while the frequency of the number 18 from the Gyle to the Royal Infirmary and the 38 from north Edinburgh to the ERI has been reduced. The route of the 67 service between Ratho and Wester Hailes has been axed; in west Edinburgh, the 20 has been withdrawn at peak periods and a similar fate has befallen the 60 from Dumbiedykes.

Thousands of people have signed petitions, but this pressure has so far failed to save the bus services. Pensioner Irene Paterson, neighbourhood watch co-ordinator for Hunter's Tryst, persuaded 3500 people to support her petition against the number 18 cutbacks. She has pledged to join the Bring Back Our Buses campaign.

"Council tax payers should have some say in our supposedly excellent public transport," she said.

She said: "There are a large number of pensioners who use the number 18, so why are we being ignored? We need a 20-minute daily service to the hospital."

Community councils in Fairmilehead and Sighthill and residents' associations in Dumbiedykes will be among those likely to be involved in the campaign.

Lib Dems in south Edinburgh are already fighting the cutbacks to the number 38 service, and Newington councillor Fred Mackintosh has welcomed the new initiative.

Lib Dem MSP Margaret Smith has also pledged to sign the e-petition. Tory Colinton councillor Jason Rust is fighting for more subsidy for the number 18 bus, while the SNP has pledged 4 million a year for Edinburgh's buses if it forms the next Executive.

Council leader Ewan Aitken has said both the Lib Dems and the Tories did not promise extra cash to subsidise buses in their 2006 council budgets.

"When I became leader [in the summer], I made a commitment to ensure an additional 1m is found for supported buses, and that will be in our manifesto next year," the Labour chief said.

Ian Craig, managing director of Lothian Buses, said: "We aim to provide as comprehensive a service as we can, and that means we use some of the profits we earn on the busier routes to subsidise losses made on the quieter routes, and at the quieter times such as evenings and Sundays.

"However Lothian Buses receive no council subsidies to run these loss-making buses so we can only afford cross-subsidise up to a certain level. There is not a bottomless pit of money available for loss making bus routes and we have to constantly monitor and adjust service levels to ensure we live within our means."