From April to September this year there were more than 3.2million concessionary bus trips in Plymouth, up 21 per cent on the same period last year. The cost to the council rose from £2.3million to £2.5million.
More use buses thanks to new pass
It has to be said that Plymouth does seem to be doing a lot better with their free bus pass provision than many councils, and dont seem to be in the same degree of panic that a lot of authorities are experiencing with the cost of the scheme. They do point out that the number of users was expected to have been higher than it has turned out, and that they are one of the more efficient local authorities when it come to administering the system. I have been impressed at the lack of news locally which suggests it is working better here than elsewhere.
Its not all good news though with one local operator having an outstanding appeal which if it goes the operators way could put the council into a loss. Nationally Stagecoach have been quite vocal against the scheme and have placed plenty of appeals in various areas which must make it very difficult for local authorities to plan ahead and set budgets, but then it cant be easy for operators either!
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On a separate note keep an eye out tomorrow for Atlantean STK131T which is hoping to be out and about for an hour or two. Give us a wave if you see us - Hopefully pictures to follow over the weekend!
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