By Councillor Hyatt
BUS SERVICES AN EXPENSIVE MESS
Bus fare increases again, it doesn’t seem too long ago that they were increased anyway – has anyone notice any improvement from that increase? Now another 10p here and 20p there. I have noticed several things though, firstly the lack of passengers on the buses, very often I see a lone driver, then I have waited for a bus at a particular time, which did not arrive but looking at the time for the next one was only a few minutes away, then that time moved and I waited longer, it never came so I gave up and went home to do what I wanted to do another time, but while I was waiting I did see six, yes six buses go in the opposite direction to where I wanted to go.
I look back to years gone by and remembered when I used to catch the bus the fare was calculated by individual stops, but in today’s chaotic travel by bus the price for one stop is the same as if you were going to the end destination, so why should people pay the same for a couple of stops as for the full destination? How is it that a fair way to treat passengers. Like everything else in the world today we all pay more for less and it keeps happening.
Council tax but no better service, water charges increased and still our rivers and seas are polluted, shareholders and executives have big pay-outs, gas companies and electric companies increase their prices and again we are told time and time again the services will improve, when are we going to see these improvements, the NHS given billions to improve but the executives all appear to be the only ones to prosper, even our lovely MPs have been given an substantial rise and have we seen any benefits yet, National Insurance increased for employers, so they cannot or will not take on new staff and even made some redundant, farmers hit by the inheritance tax.
So, I say carry on bus companies do your worst the buses are practically empty now so good luck getting more blood out of the stone that is the working class, after all it’s only 10p and 20p but it is 10p and 20p we will not have next week, the pockets of the ordinary folk are not as deep as those who keep taking it.