Councillor joins calls for buses to return to public hands
Carol Whitton made the remarks as the traffic commissioner for West of England investigated complaints about the reliability of Stagecoach Devon
A county councillor from Devon has spoken out about the state of bus services in Exeter - saying not only is it not working, but that it should no longer be in private hands, too.
St David’s and Haven Banks' representative and local Labour leader Carol Whitton made the remarks after it was revealed the traffic commissioner for West of England was investigating complaints about the reliability of Stagecoach Devon.
Over the past few years, bus services have been hit by changing schedules, a shortage of drivers and a drop in passengers compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Despite these local issues, Stagecoach says this is an issue experienced nationwide as the industry struggles with a skills shortage and slow pick-up after the pandemic.
The Conservative councillor in charge of public transport Andrea Davis also described the service as “dire”, telling the commissioner that “customer confidence in Stagecoach has never been lower.”
But Cllr Whitton said more radical action was now needed.
She said: “The failing bus Stagecoach bus service in Exeter has been apparent to Exeter’s Labour county councillors since the spring with residents telling us many times over about buses repeatedly being cancelled without notice and passengers left standing at stops often in excess of an hour waiting for buses that failed to turn up.
“Now the service has been ‘rescheduled’ which amounts to significant cuts in the service.
“Residents deserve better, and we have championed that message through the Devon County Council’s (DCC) Exeter Highway and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC), at cabinet and in meetings of the full council.
“I am pleased that Cllr Davies has taken that message to the traffic commissioners in Bristol, but ultimately the government must face up to the fact that the private sector model for providing vital transport services is failing and is not able to deliver the service that the public needs.
“A reliable public transport service is essential to restoring our economy as we come out of the pandemic and to enable us to build a greener future.
“For this reason, Labour has appealed to DCC to consider franchising as an alternative to the current system which would bring more aspects of the service under local democratic scrutiny and control.
“Only fundamental change can fix the problems and build a bus service that is fit for purpose.”
It follows a separate controversy last month when councillors slammed the decision to allow Devon bus drivers to work in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.