Subsidised buses axed as council cuts back

Adam Hewitt • Published 2 Sep 2010 13:30 0 Comments

BUS services subsidised by the council are being axed to save money - but fares on some remaining routes will come down.

Reading Borough Council spends £435,000 a year to help fund services including the Madejski Stadium and Green Park Fasttrack buses, the Kennet Island shuttle, route 28 in Tilehurst, route 41 from Kennet Island to the Napier Road Tesco and school routes 991 and 995.

It wants to reduce this to £200,000, meaning a cut in the number of weekday buses its pays for from 11 to nine. There will be fewer off-peak Madejski Stadium buses, a merger of the Green Park and Kennet Island routes, the N33 night bus will be scrapped and other night routes will be shortened - except the 22, 23, 24 and 33.

The council’s report says single fares on many of the routes will be cut to £1 in light of Reading Buses’ own trials of cheaper fares. It says the fare cuts are also because of the “perceived disparity between the optional costs of using buses and the apparent costs of cars”.

Unless the decision is referred for further debate by three or more councillors, the changes will be as follows:

Madejski Fasttrack

To continue with 3 buses at peak times providing a 15 minute frequency, but 2 buses off peak (20 min frequency), 3 instead of 4 buses on Saturdays (12-15 minute frequency). Evening service to be provided instead by an extension of the Kennet Island service every 30 minutes.

Additional Christmas Park & Ride services are proposed including operating on Sundays before Christmas and on 27 & 28 December 2010 to help promote Reading as a retail destination whilst Reading Station is closed.

Green Park Fasttrack

To reduce the number of buses from 6 to 5 with a reduction in frequency to every 10 minutes. Green Park Fasttrack would also incorporate the Kennet Island service.

Kennet Island

It is proposed to replace the Kennet Island shuttle with service using Green Park Fasttrack buses. In response to continuing growth in patronage and resident population it is proposed to increase the number of peak buses serving Kennet Island and in addition provide an evening and Nighttrack service. Overall there would be a 33% increase in service for Kennet Island.

Nighttrack

It is proposed to shorten several current routes and withdraw N33 as this carries very few passengers. The resource required to operate would be reduced from 5 to 3 buses and timetables would be revised. Routes N5 Northumberland Avenue, Whitley Wood, Kennet Island, N9 RBH, Shinfield Road, Whitley Wood, N21 University, Lower Earley, Woodley , N23 Caversham centre, Caversham Park, Emmer Green, N26 Southcote, Fords Farm, Calcot would provide 1 late night departure each night Monday - Thursday and 3 late night departures on Friday/Saturday nights.

Nighttrack service would be withdrawn from Theale, Shinfield Park and Shinfield Village in neighbouring council areas as there is little use made of the current service.

Evening buses

It is proposed to continue the support for evening buses on routes 22, 23, 24, 33, as withdrawal of this support would result in a loss of evening buses to Coley Park, Tilehurst Road/Meadway, and most of Caversham.

Community Link 28

It is proposed to amend AM and PM peak service provided by this bus in order to accommodate an extension to schools link route 991. This would be extended to start from Whitley and replace current route 995.

Minor changes to the daytime 28 timetable are proposed.

Community Link 41

To continue to serve Napier Road with a Monday - Friday off peak bus every 45 minutes and to add 2 extra services.

Fares proposals

Route 41 - all single fares to be reduced to £1.

Nighttrack - all single fares to be reduced to £1. (Fares to be charged at this rate on New Year’s Eve)

Madejski Park & Ride - Off peak group fare to be reduced to £3 for up to 5 people from one car. Fastsaver multi trip tickets to be increased by between 0.7% and 2.6% to convenient ‘rounded’ figures.

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