logo
'Low demand' bus route dropped after three months

'Low demand' bus route dropped after three months

Yahoo24-05-2025
An "isolated" community is to lose its first bus to a nearby town in a decade after only three months of operation.
The number 68 from Port Clarence to Billingham and the University Hospital of North Tees was introduced on a trial basis in February.
However operator Stagecoach announced the service will end after next week's half-term holiday because of low demand. It said it brought in just £12.58 a day and four people per trip, while running costs were in excess of £80 a day.
Councillor Katie Weston, Labour member for Billingham South, said she did not blame the company but called for changes to help remote communities access public transport.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "There's a lot of kids who aren't doing anything after school because they literally can't get back, they rely on the school bus.
"And people doing their shopping, going to the doctors, because Billingham is their town centre."
After meetings with Stagecoach the service, which had not run for a decade, was brought back on a trial basis.
"We thought we'd try and get enough people to use it, then we might be able to build on it and they might be able to put more times in place", Weston said.
"The passenger numbers aren't high enough for Stagecoach to be financially viable.
"It's a private company that at the very least needs to break even to run that service.
"Less than half of the population of Port Clarence has access to a car, so it does leave them very isolated, socially and economically.
"What they need is an actual proper regular bus service and, given the current system that we have, it's just not going to happen.
A Stagecoach spokesperson said: "This trial was undertaken in good faith and at Stagecoach's commercial risk.
"Unfortunately, across the first six weeks of operation, service 68 has carried an average of four people per trip, with a total revenue of £12.58 each day.
"Labour costs alone for operating these trips has been around £80 per day - this is before fuel and vehicle costs are factored.
"With such low demand, it was determined the trial could not be extended."
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Stagecoach
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Germany's identity crisis: The trains no longer run on time
Germany's identity crisis: The trains no longer run on time

Washington Post

time2 days ago

  • Washington Post

Germany's identity crisis: The trains no longer run on time

BERLIN — Germany: the land of beer, sausage and trains that run on time. Actually, make that the land where 56 percent of trains run on time. More precisely (or imprecisely, depending on how much of a rush you are in), the land where 56 percent of trains arrive within six minutes of the scheduled time — which is the cushion Deutsche Bahn, the national railroad company, allows itself for an 'on-time' arrival.

Update for Inverclyde train users as engineers work overnight to clear storm damage
Update for Inverclyde train users as engineers work overnight to clear storm damage

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Update for Inverclyde train users as engineers work overnight to clear storm damage

RAIL bosses have issued an update to train passengers in Inverclyde after engineers worked overnight to tackle damage caused by fallen trees. All services on the Gourock and Wemyss Bay lines were cancelled from around 3pm onwards on Monday after the high winds of Storm Floris blew a tree on to the overhead electric wires on a stretch of the railway between Paisley and Bishopton. Network Rail says its engineers have been working overnight to fix the damage and that the line has now reopened. Public transport bore the brunt of the Storm Floris disruption in [[Inverclyde]] on Monday, while a fallen tree blocked Inverkip Road in Greenock, with other trees torn out of the ground at Darroch Park in [[Gourock]] and Mallaig Road in Port Glasgow - look back at our Storm Floris round-up from Monday here. CalMac's ferry services between [[Gourock]] and Dunoon, [[Gourock]] and Kilcreggan, and [[Wemyss Bay]] and Rothesay were all disrupted on Monday. CalMac says that its Gourock-Dunoon route - already reduced to an hourly frequency because of a long-running technical problem that is keeping one of the route's two vessels out of service - remains liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice on Tuesday. Western Ferries' service between McInroy's Point and Hunters Quay remained in operation throughout Monday.

Pensioners can use their free bus pass whenever they like under TODAY'S new changes
Pensioners can use their free bus pass whenever they like under TODAY'S new changes

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Yahoo

Pensioners can use their free bus pass whenever they like under TODAY'S new changes

Pensioners will be able to use their free bus pass whenever they like as changes come into force today (Friday, August 1). Under a new pilot, older people living in Bolton as well as those with disabilities, will no longer hae to wait until after 9.30am to take advantage of free travel. Across Greater Manchester around 400,000 such people in Greater Manchester will benefit from round-the-clock bus travel as part of a new pilot, better connecting them to healthcare, leisure and retail opportunities. READ MORE: Bee Network hits 10 million contactless 'tap and go' bus journeys Bolton train station to be brought under Bee Network Bee Network plans to use solar or wind power to power vehicles Currently those with a TfGM-issued concessionary travel pass have free bus travel between 9.30am and midnight during the week and all day on weekends and public holidays. Today the pre-9.30am travel restriction will be lifted on a trial basis for a month on all buses. As well as free early morning bus travel, it will mean older and disabled people will be able to board the Bee Network's night buses, all night, for free for the first time. The plans were announced by Mayor Andy Burnham as part of the launch of the Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS), the region's vision for the next decade to grow the local economy and ensure everyone can live well. Included in the GMS is a pledge to keep the cost of travel as low as possible, improving connections and making it easier for people to use the Bee Network to get around. Bolton Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: "We're hoping to trail this scheme throughout August with the view to it becoming a permanent fixture based on what routes become most popular with residents. "We have received feedback from residents about making GP appointments and visits, so these routes aim to provide flexibility here. "I fully expect the trail to be made permanent at the end of the month and am in full support of these provisions for pensioners. The trial is being held to look at the impact of lifting the 9.30am restriction on peak bus services and those shortly after 9.30am. At the conclusion of the trial, the evidence gathered during it, including analysing passenger feedback, patronage and pass usage, will be assessed before a decision is made on whether the move can be made permanent. Erica Woods, co-chair, GM Older People's Equality Panel said: 'We're really excited for no more 'twirlies' (Older people arriving 'too early' to use their bus pass) this August on the Bee Network. 'This is a great result for older residents and we can't wait to make the most of it. 'It's often older people with financial challenges that rely on buses and currently they can't get to essential health appointments, meaning that treatment is delayed or they have to use taxis that they can ill-afford. 'And it's not just older people that will benefit – we're shoppers, we're carers, we're volunteers. This pilot will really help us to unleash our potential.' The trial is available only on Bee Network buses, NOT on trams and trains.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store