Smoke and mirrors over bus services
AFTER months of notice to find a replacement operator, Gloucestershire County Council have left residents in the lurch as Stagecoach cancels and changes services across Cheltenham.
I have spent years pushing for better bus services for Cheltenham.
As a regular bus user travelling across Gloucestershire, I know first-hand the challenge of trying to get a reliable bus to work and to time-sensitive appointments.
As the Cabinet member for climate change on Cheltenham Borough Council, I struggle to make an allencompassing equitable case for a modal shift away from cars without a functioning bus service to offer as a substitute for those who can’t cycle or walk long distances.
Buses are controlled by the County Council, not by us, so we need to work together to find solutions.
Cheltenham has suffered years of unreliable services rooted in years of contractual mismanagement by the County Council.
What we need from the County Council isn’t a bold creative solution but a boring reliable one.
The buses need to be accessible, turn up when it says they will, cost a fair amount to ride and go where people need them to.
Everything else is smoke and mirrors.
Cheltenham needs a County Council that holds its bus contractor to account for service quality.
They need to regularly check in and understand the situation on the ground rather than falling asleep at the wheel.
The hard-working bus drivers who keep Stagecoach services across Cheltenham running take real pride in their work, but there aren’t enough drivers to deliver the services we need and cover for illness.
We need a county with better relationships with training providers, so we can train the next generation of bus drivers here in Gloucestershire and create new sustainable local jobs.
If you rely on the bus to get anywhere in Cheltenham, check the service changes and get ready to make new travel plans if needed.
You can find the details online at: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/west/gloucestershireservice-changes