Introduction
Bus services across the UK were privatised in 1985. Since then, many routes in Kent have been run by commercial bus companies, such as Arriva or Stagecoach.
But not all of Kent’s bus services are run on a purely commercial basis. Kent County Council (KCC) currently spends £6.4 million subsidising some routes which, while not commercially viable, are considered important to the needs of the communities and passengers they serve.
What is being proposed
KCC have worked hard to protect these subsidies, but as central government funds have been reduced we’ve had to make savings. They have already saved over £1million by working with bus operators to re-plan routes, renegotiating better contracts and through a greater use of Community Transport operators. However, they still need to reduce our spending further in the next financial year.
To help them do this a series of changes have been identified for 17 subsidised services. While KCC’s approach seeks to protect those bus services where the impact on passengers is greatest, they understand that any changes may have an adverse impact on existing bus passengers and they need you to tell them how the proposed changes may affect you.
Find out more
The Consultation Document provides information on:
- KCC’s approach to making these savings
- The services that might be affected
- How the final decision will be made
KCC have carried out an initial Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) on the Council’s scoring approach and draft EqIAs for each of the services identified for change – these are available to view by clicking here.
Timetables for the 17 routes are available by clicking here. These show the journeys currently subsidised by KCC and affected by the consultation.
All of the consultation documentation is available to download from the ‘Consultation Documents’ section below.
Have your say
Your views will be essential in helping us to make a final decision. Council Members will take them into account alongside bus surveys and EqIAs when making a final decision.
Please tell KCC your views by filling in the online questionnaire, which can be found under the ‘Respond to this Consultation’ section below.
Alternatively, print and complete the consultation questionnaire at the back of the Consultation Document and return using the Freepost address: Freepost, KENT COUNTY COUNCIL BUS FUNDING REVIEW.
This consultation will run for eight weeks, from Monday 21 March to Sunday 15 May 2016 (inclusive).
Consultation Documents
The consultation documents can be downloaded from the KCC consultation page: http://consultations.kent.gov.uk/consult.ti/BusReview/consultationHome