In the quaint landscape of Wiltshire, Andy the driver finds a unique joy, touting the variety of each day as he steers his on-demand bus service. Locally, the council is gravitating towards such models as a solution to fill gaps left by retreating commercial operators. It’s a trend that’s common, as stated by the County Councils Network in England, with three-fourths of the local bodies offering such services in the rural provinces.
However, the Network forewarns of the risk involved. Many of these ventures operate at a loss, requiring funding injections for their continued operation. It’s particularly concerning given that bus travel marks more than half of Great Britain’s overall public transport use. The pandemic has delivered a hefty blow to bus services, causing a significant dip in passenger counts and subsequently, revenues.
The way that these bookable services work is innovative yet simple. The minibuses operate only when users book ahead of time. The route changes each day, taking into consideration the different door-to-door commuter needs. Commuters get the advantage of custom stops directly to train stations, local hospitals, or supermarkets, for instance.
The County Councils Network, however, sees such services only as a stop-gap measure, highlighting the necessity of ongoing commercial bus service investments. Confirming that most on-demand setups run at a loss, the Network puts the spotlight on operating costs as a barrier to profitable operations.
In a study of the council members, as many as 95% of the respondents averred that their on-demand services incurred a loss. The study revealed a sole case of a council running services both profitably and loss-making. Around 75% of the responding councils provided on-demand services, and about half of them managed up to five different services in their jurisdictions.
Narratives from the users of an on-demand service in Pewsey, Wiltshire, highlight the crucial role these operations play. From Julie Wilson, who credits her daily hospital visits to her husband to the service’s flexibility, to Rosie Mooney, who appreciated the transportation option after her early Christmas shopping spree in Devizes town center.
Such services, therefore, act as community bonding agents, especially in remote rural areas. Yet the operational challenges persist. The booking technology revealed certain inadequacies, with time slots availability being a major bone of contention as per Philip Hiscock, a keen observer of transport trends in Wiltshire.
Stephen-Giles Medhurst from the County Councils Network emphasized the popularity of the schemes amongst the elderly, recognizing them as complements to the existing services rather than substitutes. Amid financial constraints, Medhurst echoed the importance of sustainable investment in traditional bus services.
In several rural areas, sustaining traditional commercial bus services profitably has become an uphill task. Industry advocates, therefore, have aired concerns about the social implications of discontinuing bus routes. Government authorities, on their part, have announced a £150m uplift for bus services in specified English regions as a part of the fresh ‘Network North’ transport design.
Similar initiatives include more than £3.5bn to support and rejuvenate buses since the outset of the global pandemic. They have also allocated ample funds for councils to incorporate bookable services and decided to retain the £2 cap on bus fares till the end of 2024. They have also increased the fuel claim funding by a significant 60% for vulnerable passengers and older community members as a way to mitigate costs.
