Local MP Steve Brine has joined colleagues scrutinising the changes to the concessionary coach travel scheme, as a number of constituents have approached him with their concerns.
While the scheme is not a Government funded scheme to provide concessionary coach travel to the over 60s in a similar way to the statutory bus concessionary travel scheme, it does allows coach operators who have decided on a commercial basis to offer a concessionary half-price scheme to the over-60s to claim, on a non-statutory basis, the Bus Services Operators Grant (BSOG).
Steve said: "I am of course, every minute of every day, very mindful that the country is paying debt interest of £120 million every day, which has meant that the Government has had to make some difficult decisions. However, I am collecting submissions on this to pass to Norman Baker, who is the Minister for Buses and MP for nearby Lewes, as I want him to be very aware of the strength of feeling down here."
In a debate in the House which Steve attended on Thursday 15th September, his colleague Caroline Nokes MP (Romsey) asked Norman Baker: "Many elderly and disabled people in my constituency have become reliant on coach travel because of its ease of use and cost-effectiveness. If this decision results in the withdrawal of some routes, what choice does he think those vulnerable groups in my constituency will be left with, given that train travel is acknowledged to be very expensive?"
Mr Baker replied: "First, we have retained the bus concession in its entirety when many thought that was vulnerable in the current financial circumstances—that has not been chopped in any way. Secondly, the senior citizen railcard continues to exist, and it enables those people to receive a significant discount on rail travel. Thirdly, as I have said, National Express, which is by far and away the largest coach provider, is intending to put its own scheme in place, and I am sure it will do that. I say that, first, because it makes commercial sense for National Express to do so and, secondly, because the profits on its coach division increased by 14% in the last six months."
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Visit the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov.uk