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Rebellion on Leeds buses
As bus users in Leeds hold protest meetings about proposed cuts to services, those at the helm of the city say they agree that the transport system is not working. Neil Hudson reports
Angry passengers in Leeds have been letting those in charge know just how they feel this week about proposed cuts to bus services.
First bus company plans to axe nearly four per cent of its West Yorkshire services from the middle of next month.
The response from the public has been swift – villagers in Scholes organised a bus stop protest and a public meeting, residents in Moortown reacted in fury to plans to axe two bus services, and readers have contacted the Yorkshire Evening Post to tell of their fears over the proposals.
There are cuts to dozens of routes, the majority mean a reduction in the frequency of buses, but some services have been withdrawn altogether.
Metro, the body that oversees public transport in West Yorkshire, has branded it the biggest service reduction since bus services were deregulated in 1986.
But it is not only the public who feel anger at the cuts – those who are in charge of the city and its transport system say not only do they agree with disgruntled bus users but they think the deregulated bus system does not work.
Bus services were deregulated in 1986 under Margaret Thatcher's Tory Government in a bid to introduce competition into the market, the idea being that customers would get a better, cheaper service as operators vied over routes.
Tory Councillor Chris Greaves, who is deputy chairman of Metro, said: "The idea was that we would have competition, the customer would get a better price and service. We have not got that.
"What we have is a series of monopolies, with First controlling most of Leeds. There is no competition and we have the worst of all worlds.
"We have a bus company with no competition that can run which routes it wants and charge what it wants and there's nothing anyone can do about it."
Coun Greaves believes West Yorkshire needs a London-style system.
But opponents say that will cost taxpayers far more than the current arrangement.
He said: "London has what are called 'quality contracts'. For us, that would mean Metro would dictate what routes are provided and how much tickets cost."
Coun Greaves is not alone in his view.
Coun Andrew Carter, Leeds City Council deputy leader, said: "We have effectively gone back to a monopoly situation. We want more competition.
"First have gone too far. We are trying to build a transport system for Leeds that's fit for the 21st century. It's hard enough arguing with the Government about investment without having bus companies withdrawing services.
"First have not taken into account the need to balance making money with providing a public service. Leeds is a very profitable area for them but if they are going to remove services, I think we have to look at new ways of working.
"Quality contracts are a step in the right direction. We have got to be given more effective tools to get bus companies to give a proper service."
Dave Alexander, managing director of First in Leeds, defended the company's decisions.
First, which employs 1,500 people in Leeds, argues they are reacting as any sensible company would in the face of recession.
The company says it is losing 60,000 a month in Leeds alone.
He said: "We are reducing resources to meet a reduction in demand. I understand Metro are disappointed services have to change. What they do not seem to want to recognise is at the moment we are in the middle of a recession and during that time we see a decline in the level of use of buses.
"We are no different to any other business. We are not going to continue to stock what we can't sell.
"That's not to say we won't increase services in future. When we've done that in the past, it's not because we want to carry more fresh air round the roads, it's based on more passengers.
"The argument that advertising bus travel will attract more customers doesn't hold water. People are going out less because of the recession. We have seen a top-slicing of what we call the discretionary user – people who will take the bus not to go to work but on an evening to go into town or through the day to go shopping.
"If people aren't going out, you can advertise it all you want but it won't create extra bus journeys.
"We are a business in a commercial environment and if we are going to be able to invest in that then we need to make a profit. That's what businesses do."
* Metro is controlled by a board of 22 councillors drawn from the five local authority areas in West Yorkshire.
* Metro spends around 16m a year subsidising a quarter of all bus services in West Yorkshire – public money pays for most morning and evening services and all Sunday services.
* FirstGroup has a fleet of nearly 9,000 buses, carrying 3m passengers a day in 40 major towns and cities across the UK. In Leeds it has around 450 vehicles.
* Aberdeen-based FirstGroup made 497.5m in 2008-9 for its worldwide operations (134m in the UK), according to its latest company report, published in May.
* In London buses run 24-hours a day, seven days a week, but the cost is around 1.7bn. Although 1.15bn comes from ticket sales, the taxpayer makes up the remainder, a precept which often comprises half their overall council tax bill.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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