Rural residents who saw bus services to their villages cut to a single outbound service a day have submitted plans for a demand responsive “from-anywhere-to-anywhere” service to an authority seeking to investigate alternatives to traditional transport.
The proposed scheme, which would operate across numerous villages in the Hambleton, Ryedale and Harrogate districts of North Yorkshire, would see all available forms of public transport, including non-emergency patient transport, be called upon to provide the service.
It is hoped if the scheme proves successful it could be rolled out across England’s largest county to solve issues surrounding the lack of rural transport.
The move follows North Yorkshire County Council calling for suggestions to take advantage of funding to improve bus services following the announcement of a package of measures by the Government.
The authority is looking at two elements of the package – funding for supported bus services and the Rural Mobility Fund, which is to trial demand-responsive transport – and must submit proposals early in March.
A council spokesman said: “Services need to show that they can help residents to access education, work, healthcare and other services, and enable greater social inclusion.”
Councillor Don Mackenzie, the council’s executive member for Access, said the government grants presented an opportunity to increase support for local transport, on top of the £1.5m a year the authority uses to subsidise bus services.
He said: “North Yorkshire faces particular challenges around public transport because of its sparse population and the deeply rural nature of large parts of the county, so we’re looking for solutions that can make a difference.”
Campaigners behind the proposed demand-responsive transport scheme, which would cover an area including Boroughbridge, Thirsk, Ampleforth, Haxby and Roecliffe, said it would make using public transport a realistic choice and crucially, could present a financially viable alternative to traditional bus services.
The Campaign for Better Transport has found between 2010/11 and 2016/17, North Yorkshire County Council cut bus service support by 78 per cent, among the highest reduction in the country. Bus operators have reacted by cutting services where there is low demand.
Former bus firm boss Barry Connor, who has shaped the proposal and is working alongside charity Hambleton Community Action on a submission over rural transport issues to the county council’s Rural Commission, said the service should accept National Concessionary Passes, charge fares for non-pass holders in line with the mileage rate charged by the lowest commercial bus company operating in North Yorkshire.
He said the council would need to create and maintain a telephone, online and mobile app booking facility to allow up to seven-day advance booking.
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