Concessionary coach fares are coming to an end
31 August 2011 Last updated at 11:46
Bus cuts ‘threat to vulnerable’
Coach firms have had enough time to prepare for cuts to long-distance concessionary fares, Transport Minister Norman Baker has said.
Such fares for those over 60, and for those with disabilities, are to be scrapped in England on 1 November.
Coach operators said they could have offered the government the savings they wanted without penalising people who depended on the long-distance services.
But Mr Baker said companies had been given 12 months’ notice of the plans.
He added: “We also made the calculation that it was likely that there’d be a commercial case for National Express and others to put in place their own arrangements to make up for that.”
Currently, the Bus Service Operators’ Grant (BSOG) allows some operators of coaches and local buses, and community transport schemes to reclaim some of their fuel costs.
But Mr Baker has said the grant for long-distance coach travel concessions will be cut so “the limited funds the taxpayer can afford” can be used to support schemes such as free concessionary travel on local bus services in England.
This statutory concession is not expected to be affected by these cuts.
Anyone aged 60 or over and many disabled people who live in Scotland are able to travel free on scheduled long-distance coach services in Scotland.
Concessions are also available for some long-distance services in Wales, and pensioners are eligible for free travel on public transport across the whole of Ireland.
‘Everyday life hit’
Mr Baker said: “The pressing need to tackle the deficit and avoid the kind of crisis that has hit other European countries has required us to take a number of difficult decisions, including this one.
“For many older and disabled people a free local bus service can be a lifeline, providing access to employment, healthcare and other essential services. That is why we have given priority to the local concession scheme and retained it despite the deficit crisis.
“That has meant that some other areas of transport spending, such as support for long-distance coach travel, have had to be cut.”
John Major, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, which represents the UK’s bus, coach and light rail industry, said it had “long anticipated that the government’s austerity measures were going to hit hard on all aspects of everyday life”.
He added: “As the Transport Select Committee highlighted recently in their report on the effects of government spending on bus and coach services, the industry is having to adjust to the greatest financial challenge it has faced in generations.
“Operators work in very close partnership with local authorities up and down the country in an effort to deliver the best services possible for our customers.
“We support the call from the committee to continue this work and the need for all parties to adopt an ever more flexible approach in order to minimise the effects any cuts will have on our customers and the services we provide.”
