SAVE OUR BUSES

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2011 :: RMTnews 8 G overnment funding cuts are putting many bus services in jeopardy. The Save Our Buses campaign is all about making the case for buses to government decision-makers and at the same time supporting local bus campaign groups. Buses are the most frequently used form of public transport. Day in day out, they link thousands of people up and down the country to jobs, schools and shops. Moreover there are around 123,000 people who earn their living in the bus industry. The government is cutting 28 per cent of the money it gives to local authorities for public transport. Some rural counties risk losing 50 per cent or even all of their council-funded bus services. Other councils are cutting all weekend and evening services. In many areas concessionary fares schemes for young people and free bus pass holders during peak hours are being withdrawn. Council bus cuts are being made at a time where commercial bus services are also being hit hard by the cuts. A 20 per cent cut to the fuel tax rebate for buses, called BSOG, will come into force next year. This will combine with changes to the formula used by councils to calculate the way companies are reimbursed for carrying bus pass holders. These formula changes will mean another £100 million in funding being lost from the bus network. All in all, buses could be tipped into a spiral of decline from which they will struggle to recover. STAND UP FOR YOUR BUS SERVICE Our interactive bus cuts map is a campaign tool to try and make transparent the effects of cuts in local areas. This is a crowd sourcing project so please do inform us if you know about a cut that we have missed. You can see the map on our web site. We have prepared a campaigning guide for people who find out that bus cuts are being planned in their area and want to campaign to save their bus but do not know where to start. The guide will give you an overview of who makes decisions about bus cuts and suggests campaigning ideas. The guide can be found to download from our website, bettertransport.org.uk. We want the map to feature as many personal stories as possible, and to give a voice to bus users and workers. If you SAVE OUR BUSES Sophie Allain of Campaign for Better Transport outlines the strategy of the Save Our Buses campaign www.bettertransport.org.uk