Council U-turn on rural bus services? Tender out to operate a new route
THURROCK Council has confirmed it has made something of a U-turn and is planning to bring back rural bus routes that it had controversially stopped supporting.
Cost-cutting measures within the council brought about a decision to scrap the subsidy to a number of rural bus routes, leaving villages such as Horndon on the Hill and West Tilbury without any direct link to public transport. East Tilbury was also affected with the removal of its bus service.
The move cause outrage and a campaign, ultimately lost, by many local residents – who found transport portfolio holder Cllr Ben Maney deaf to their appeals.
He was questioned several times in full council and at committees about the alleged 'unfairness' of cutting local routes – that left those without a car – including students wishing to get to local schools, without access to low cost transport.
At times debates in the council chambers became quite heated with residents making their protest heard.
However, it now seems – despite Cllr Maney's protestations that the council couldn't afford to subsidise the routes – there has been a change of heart.
The council is now seeking submissions of tenders to operate a route to replace lost services in Horndon and East Tilbury.
A statement says: "Thurrock Council is planning to trial a pilot bus route which will serve some communities in Thurrock which have recently lost local bus services including East Tilbury and Horndon-on-the-Hill.
"The bus service will be tendered for a minimum of 15-months and there is an opportunity to extend the service if additional funding is received or high levels of support and fare revenues.
"Thurrock Council has been awarded £432,000 by the Department for Transport (DfT) to support local bus services through its Bus Service Improvement Plan+ funding."
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