Medway Buses suffering under Tories

Given the botched opening of the bus station in Chatham and the Conservative u-turn over the Freedom Pass, which will still a 14 year old from Strood worse off, than an equivalent in Gravesend, it is worth looking at bus usage in Medway since the coalition came to office.

Transport is an absolutely crucial issue in Medway which is why Medway Labour put it centre-stage at the local election this year.

Labour has a long history of campaigning against fare increases with campaign events at Medway station's we have opposed the Tory train fare rises which are being imposed by the Department for Transport on train operators. We oppose the London Conservative plan for an airport on the Peninsula (Boris Airport) which is slowly but surely working its way onto a government white paper (as predicted by this blog three years ago). We have stood up for our young people pledging a full equivalent to the Freedom Pass for our young people; a pledge firstly derided by the Conservatives before they copied and pasted it this April.

Labour is leading on transport and for that reason it is right that we look at buses in Medway.

When we talk about buses this is not just the failure of the Tories to manage the bus station; though that failure is symbolic of how they manage the whole of our towns believe me. The dithering over planning, the delay over building, the damned lies over spiralling costs. A botched completion job and an operation of spin from the corridors of power to conceal the true impact on residents.

Medway residents deserve a new bus deal. Only over the last six months some scary statistics have now become clear.

Under the Tories the statistics stand for themselves:

• We have seen a massive reduction in Medway bus journeys from 9.3 to 8.9m in just one year. This represents a full reversal of increasing bus usage from 7.9m to 8.9m under the last Labour government.
• According to Passenger Focus over a third (37%) of fare-paying passengers were dissatisfied with value for money and more than a fifth (23%) were unhappy with the frequency of buses. Nothing has been done to change this perception and bus services are being reduced not extended

• We have seen Bus Services slashed – According to Freedom of Information requests we have seen cuts to Bus 165 and further cuts currently being discussed on 26 contracts. Bus services which serve the entire of Medway. These contracts carry a total of 194,392 passengers per annum. Tories are cutting your buses right now.
• Investment cut - The governments budget allocation for Medway's Integrated Transport block (which includes bus capital schemes) significantly cut from £3.5m per year to £1.5m per year in 2011/12. As a result the LTP allocation to public transport capital schemes (bus and taxi) reduced from £299k in 2010/11 to £250k in 2011/12.
• Costs for the bus station continue to be open-ended after it came out £2.3m over the original budget estimate. A number of operators are expressing major concerns at rising costs...(See attached news item)
• Travel for youth: our young people continue to be disadvantaged. Whilst KCC operate a flat £50 or £100 fee for an annual Freedom Pass our young people continue to pay extortionate rates on our bus services. Pricing them off the buses

It is a pity because the bus station could have been so much better had the Tories bothered to talk to residents. After all the original funding for the improvements via HCA (Homes & Communities Agency) Grant from the Labour government investing in buses.

But like the 11+ fiasco and the cost overuns at Walderslade, Woodlands and now on the Stoke Crossing. Its another million pound fiasco a week...

Bus services are so important to Medway residents. It is a pity that we currently have an administration that could have done so much better with the money provided, and that is currently managing significant cuts to bus services, whilst residents continue to feel they are being fleeced by Conservative Councillors.

Update

Despite asking the Conservative-controlled Council for a full list of the 26 routes listed as under consultation I was refused, saying that Councillors will only get a full list after the tender process is to be undertaken.

I have written back to complain that this is a fudge as local representatives should have clarity and transparency over bus services. Clearly proposals are in detailed stages because they are able to confirm the number of journeys made.