Subsidies cut for evening and Sunday buses
SUBSIDIES for evening and Sunday bus services will stop after the council’s Cabinet approved the plans.
Cabinet members voted in favour of controversial plans to stop subsidising Sunday and evening bus services, which have until now been propped up by the authority because they are not considered profitable by bus companies.
Some day-time provision will also stop.
This will save the council £1million a year, a reduced figure on original plans to save £1.6m. The authority has stated it will still fund some evening services if there are successful tenders from bus firms, including the 38 from Macclesfield to Crewe.
But residents have warned the cuts will leave vulnerable people isolated.
In Macclesfield, the council will no longer subsidise routes 5 and 6 to the Weston Estate on Sundays, route 9 to the Moss Rose after 8.55pm on Fridays and Saturdays and all day Sunday, routes 10 and 10a to Bollington after 9.15pm on Friday and Saturday plus Sunday services after 6.16pm and route 130 to Manchester on Sundays.
The services that will still receive funding are routes 11 to Kerridge, 19 to Prestbury, 27, 27A and 27B to Knutsford, 58 to Buxton, 60 to Hayfield and 392/3 to Stockport, although timetables may change.
Councillor Paul Bates, cabinet member for finance and communication, said: “We have had to make some tough decisions but have met many of the concerns by re-configuring some routes and retaining the subsidy on routes where the removal of services would have resulted in hardship.” Bus companies have previously said they would wait for the council’s decision before making a decision on the future of the affected services.