Women’s Institute calls on you to aid campaign

I AM writing to ask your readers to join the efforts of the Women’s Institute to ensure communities have the bus services they desperately need.

These next few months are crucial to get their views heard on improving bus services in their area.

Bus services play a vital role in ensuring communities remain sustainable, helping to reduce social isolation and carbon emissions and ensure access to employment, education, facilities and health services.

Our WI Get on Board campaign seeks to raise awareness of the importance of bus services and the impact of cuts on communities – and we need more to join us.

Since 2010, local authorities have faced budgets cuts which have put pressure on the delivery of services including libraries, children’s centres and bus services.

According to the Campaign for Better Transport, council bus budgets have been cut by 25 per cent since 2010.

Local authorities across England and Wales were found to have taken £182 million away from supported bus services in 10 years, affecting more than 3,000 bus services in England.

Over the next few months, transport authorities and bus operators in England will be producing Bus Service Improvement Plans for your area.

There are many ways your readers can get involved to ensure their views are heard on services, timetables, routes, integration with rail, ticketing and other areas related to bus services.

They can take part in consultations, get in touch with their transport authority and bus operators, and speak to their Women’s Institute branch. For more information about the campaign, visit:

thewi.org.uk/get-on-board Ann Jones, chairwoman of The National Federation of Women’s

Institutes, London