‘Better bus service and more electric buses please’ as petition launched

AN online petition demands improvements to bus services in Worcester for passengers and also calls for more electric buses.

The petition, set up by Green City Councillor Elena Round, is calling for regular bus services, including late evenings and weekends.

Those who wish to sign the petition can do so by visiting https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/improve-bus-services-in-worcester

The petition states: “A frequent and reliable bus service would enable people to get to work, school and health appointments.

“It would boost the local economy by helping residents get to shops, museums and restaurants. They would be able to visit leisure centres and other sports facilities, and it would help to tackle loneliness by making it easier for people to meet up with friends.”

Cllr Round, a city councillor for St Peter’s, said: “The bus service currently operating in our city has become worse and worse over the years and is not fit for purpose.

“Meanwhile, traffic congestion has become dire, as people fall back on car use due to the lack of public transport.

“According to the 2021 census, just over 20 per cent of of households in Worcester don’t have access to a car, so they are penalised by lack of a decent bus service.

“This hits older people and those in the poorest households disproportionately hard. We want to reverse this and make Worcester’s bus service one that’s right for our city’s size and needs. Plenty of other cities of the same size have one. Plus, if travellers can be persuaded onto buses instead of resorting to private cars, our air quality will improve and carbon emissions will reduce.

“Buses are something that residents mention repeatedly on the doorstep, and we hope that this petition will show the County Council that it needs to do better.”

The petition calls for ‘a transformative improvement in bus services in Worcester’ including bus fares that are affordable, specifying the £2 bus fare cap should be reinstated with free bus travel for under-18s.

It goes on to say: “We call for buses to be clean, not overcrowded, and to maintain a high standard of hygiene, with all bus services being fully accessible.

“We support increased funding for bus services to enhance overall service quality, including innovative solutions such as on-demand bus services and bringing buses back into public control.

“We want to see new electric buses introduced to replace diesel buses on our roads, improving the air quality in our city.”

Marc Bayliss, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport,  said improving bus services is a priority for us but that none of the services in Worcester were self-financing, ‘everything is subsidised’ and there was ‘no magic money tree’.

“The on demand service will hopefully provide better access to buses at the weekends. It is something we all agree on – we would like to see more services,” he said.

He added that the on demand service in Malvern and Bromsgrove had been ‘fabulous’ and it was something he hoped could be introduced across the county over the next couple of years.

“Improving bus services is definitely one of my priorities,” he said.