TEN YEAR DECLINE IN BUS USE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2020 :: RMTnews 15 B erwick Rail RMT branch celebrated the 60th birthday and retirement of their longstanding branch secretary, Neil Herbertson last month. Neil has been secretary of Berwick Rail Branch as long as most RMT members can remember and he has just retired from the railway after 41 years on the Permanent Way. He began work on the P- Way in 1979 and has been an active member of the NUR and RMT union ever since. ‘Herby’ as he is known to his comrades in Berwick-on-Tweed is also chairman of Berwick Trades Union Council and has been active over several decades in community and trade union campaigns for jobs, working class education, safety and public ownership of railways. A traditional garden party was held in Horncliffe village near Berwick to celebrate Herby’s retirement. John Kay, a retired former branch secretary of Berwick Rail, gave a magnificent speech to honour his achievements. Whilst Herby was secretary of Berwick Rail the branch hosted several RMT grades conferences opened by former RMT general secretaries Jimmy Knapp and Bob Crow. Berwick Rail branch Martin McCleary also spoke for members from Berwick Rail branch and across the whole union to wish Herby a great retirement. “He has clearly earned it,” he said. A new National Audit Office report has found that there has been a significant decline in bus passenger usage outside London since 2010. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the decline in bus usage was a direct result of a deregulated and privatised bus industry, under which the private operators were consumed with profiteering and axe socially necessary routes at their whim. “The NAO report rightly highlights that bus services are a vital lifeline for the most disadvantaged in society, and yet since 2010, over 3,300 bus services have been cut or altered. “Bus services have a vital role to play in the decarbonisation of the transport sector, yet we are on the completely wrong trajectory, as the Government has presided over a massive decline in the bus industry. “It is clear that the deregulation of our bus industry has been a complete failure. It is farcical that the Government prohibits local authorities from setting up their own bus companies. “We need a national bus strategy, underpinned by ring- fenced national funding, which requires all local authorities to establish a municipal bus company that serves the needs of their local communities, not the pockets of shareholders,” he said. BERWICK CELEBRATES TEN YEAR DECLINE IN BUS USE KEY FACTS FROM NAO REPORT • 10% overall decline in bus use between 2010-11 and 2018-19 • 38% reduction in local authorities’ financial support for bus Services between 2010-11 and 2018-19 • 112 million vehicle miles travelled on local authority supported service routes in 2018-19 down from 243 million in 2010-11 • 18% fare increase in real terms between 2010-11 and 2018-19 • 24% of bus operators’ revenue income in 2018-19 from the provision of bus services, net of concessions, comes from government subsidy and support, though the exact percentage will vary by operator • £220 million new funding announced to support bus services in 2020-21, some of which was repurposed to support existing services during the COVID-19 crisis