Rural bus service cuts alarm councils
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MORE money was being spent on transport by people in Somerset, but it was not being spent on buses and trains, the Somerset Boroughs' and Urban District Councils' Association meeting at Weston-super-Mare was told.
A complaint was made by Weston-super-Mare about bus companies cutting rural services on the grounds of economy. The deputy Town Clerk of Weston, Mr. A. H. Shaw, said they had two or three instances recently where services had been curtailed or completely removed. "It seems that as soon as a service is not paying sufficiently, out it goes. We have the public to consider and think the companies should recoup from services that do pay", he said.
Concern at the growing plight of people living in isolated villages because of dwindling rural bus services was also expressed last week at a meeting of Devon Association of Parish Councils in Exeter.
Some villages were virtually cut off from public transport, said Capt. W. R. Rogers. Mrs. C. Burgess said villages were being "denuded". New houses were not being built because there was no public transport.
Mr. E. P. James said they had been told by the bus companies that some services had been running at a heavy loss for years, and they had to be realistic about this. "It is no use going on about hardship", he added. "Living in the country does involve some hardship."
The nation had to make up its mind whether rural buses should lze subsidized by the Government or by local authorities.