I SIT on the Transport Group for Newnham's Parish Plan and have been campaigning for Better Bus Services for some time. Everyone awaits announcements from county regarding cuts to bus services in the Forest, especially the small hopper buses. These are literally a lifeline and service scattered hamlets and otherwise isolated areas.
Gloucestershire County Council is proposing to make changes in when people can use concessionary bus passes, which will affect older people in the county.
In brief, from April next year Gloucestershire County Council will take over responsibility from the district councils to provide concessionary fares travel in Gloucestershire for people of pensionable age or disabled. At the moment travel with a concessionary pass in Gloucestershire is from 9am to 11pm and all day on weekends and bank holidays, and all day in the Stroud District.
The new scheme proposes to change the start time to 9.30am.
This change in start time will affect many people of pensionable age with concessionary passes who currently use the bus services between 9 and 9.30am to travel into Gloucester or Cheltenham for appointments, to meet up with family, and other purposes.
Presumably these changes are linked to the county council's overall financial cuts, but a check on the number of fare paying passengers on our local service from Newent to Gloucester at 9.25 indicated that there would be no savings to the council.
If you also wish to mention your concerns and views personally or on behalf of the organisation, Alan Barrett is part of the consultation process at County Hall and he is on 01452 425343.
Gloucestershire County Council is holding a consultation on their proposed changes, and they have details at http://www.gloucester">http://www.gloucester
shire.gov.uk/ concessionaryfares and an online questionnaire to express your views at http://ww5.glouc">http://ww5.glouc
estershire.gov.uk/surveys/
Concessionary_Fares/
Sue Dubois
Newnham