• Bus services on Merseyside have suffered a year of
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turmoil, according to the 1989/90 Merseytravel annual report and accounts, published this week.
"The bus service network continued to be unstable during the year as bus operators altered their commercial services," says the report. Even so, it reveals, the level of service provision (defined by service mileage) has continued to increase — to 85.1 million kilometres (53.2 million miles). Supported service provision rose by 14%, mainly because so many commercial operators de-registered unprofitable services.
The rapid pace of change caused problems: "Many of these replacement services had to be secured by an emergency contract in order to cover shortterm service deficiencies," says the report. During the year 49 such emergency contracts were let. Even so, the total annual subsidy to support the Mersey bus network remained virtually constant, at £7.74m. "Bus service reliability continued to be a significant problem for passengers," it adds.
"The region's three traffic observers carried out more than 13,000 checks and now believe that non-declaration of dropped mileage by commercial operators could represent a possible £250,000 over-payment of subsidy."
CI Local bus monopolies must be accountable to local government if the current ill effects of mergermania in the industry are to be reversed," argues a new report by the Public Transport Information Unit.
The transport policy thinktank says Britain's biggest bus companies should be transferred to local public ownership.
Supertram support • A powerful all-party committee of MPs has backed plans for the Sheffield Supertram and a guided busway in Leeds.
The Commons transport select committee has urged the Government to use Leeds as a pilot scheme for a nationwide network of guided husways.