Sussex scheme succeeds
Page 22
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE EAST SUSSEX multi-purpose County Rider bus route is carrying 15 per cent more passengers than the combined services it replaced and costing 20 per cent less to run than they did.
The route between Lewes and Newhaven run by Southdown Motor Services for the county with a Reeve Burgess-bodied Leyland Cub began last July to replace bus services, school transport and social services routes.
It is the first route to emerge from the council's Escort project for the co-ordination of all transport resources.
Previously, the 10-mile corridor had a stage carriage service subsidised by about £20,000 a year, plus payment of £7,000 in scholars' season tickets, services provided by four school minibus contracts costing about £10,000, and social services department voluntary cars and midibuses costing about £3,000 — about £40,000 in total.
The new operation was costing the county only about £30,000 to meet all these needs said Chris Brown the county's transport engineer at last week's conference on planning for passenger transport integration at Nottingham University, giving the first passenger figures for the new service.