Bath needs a road ‘revolution’ from leaders, says bus boss
A regional bus boss is calling on politicians to revolutionise transport in Bath – even if it means sacrificing their chances of getting re-elected.
First West of England managing director James Freeman, a born-andbred Bathonian, said electric buses cannot cope with the hills and the World Heritage Site needs a “more dramatic” option than Bristol’s biomethane vehicles.
Passenger numbers are recovering after the lockdown kept more people at home and knocked public confidence.
Now the Prime Minister has declared public transport safe to use, Mr Freeman hopes patronage will bounce back, but said more people walking, cycling and working from home could have a long-term impact.
Speaking during an event organised by Bath Labour and XR Bath on the future of buses in the city, he said: “Bath is a difficult place to run public transport, then Covid-19 appeared. Boris Johnson was saying don’t use public transport.
“I suddenly realised what it would be like to be in the tobacco industry. I’ve spent my whole life trying to persuade people to use buses, then I had to say don’t unless it’s essential.
“There’s still this fear about Covid. There’s still people who are very scared.
“The buses have never been cleaner than they are now. The risk to the public of travelling on public transport is incredibly low. You tend to sit with your front to the back of someone, you aren’t on the bus for that long, and you’re wearing a mask. About 85 to 90 per cent of people are wearing masks on buses.”
At their worst, passenger numbers fell to just eight per cent of their pre-lockdown level. As of last week they had recovered to 34 per cent.
“What will make a difference is how many people work from home rather than going into the office,” said the transport boss. “It could change things dramatically.
“There’s much more walking and cycling. Will people still feel that way in November?”
Reduced congestion during the lockdown has had a marked impact on punctuality in the bus network, something Mr Freeman is keen to maintain.
“If we’re going to provide reliable public transport we have to find a way of getting buses through,” he said.
“Infrastructure is a big ask. Politicians shy away from big public transport decisions.
“It’s difficult to get politicians prepared to sacrifice themselves and potentially not get voted back in because they have the vision to say, ‘This is what’s needed’.
“The bold decisions are about bus priority. It’s really difficult in Bath. We have to do what we can in what’s been left to us by the Romans and the Georgians.
“If there was no congestion there would be a remarkable effect on patronage.
“The current [council] administration is beginning to look at this. To do it across the whole city would be a revolution.”
First has made a major investment in Euro VI diesel buses to comply with Bath’s impending clean air zone. Mr Freeman said he would not be surprised if its implementation was pushed back again, from January to April.
“After diesel, what’s next? That’s where hills play a part,” he said.
“We had hybrid electric buses in Bath. They are completely unequal to the task. They had to be withdrawn and re-engineered. The hills couldn’t be conquered by them.
“We have biomethane buses in Bristol but we haven’t brought them to Bath.
“They would cope with Bath’s hills but in a World Heritage Site we ought to do something more dramatic and fitting for our very special city.”