Bus Cuts Update
March 2, 2009 by Editor
Despite a vigorous campaign of protest emails organised by The Rochford Independent, Arriva have pressed ahead and with cuts to the 8 bus service and it is now hourly.
District Councillor John Mason has worked very closely with Brian Guyett, Chairman of the Hockley Residents Association and others but even protests about effects on those with hospital appointments and that the service was being cut because the majority of users were bus pass holders this fell on deaf ears at Arriva and Essex County Council. The latter issue has been taken up with our MP but as yet, John has had no reply.
The fight has now turned to getting the evening 8 restored to hourly because the last Hawkwell Bus is at 18.30.
As the 7 continues half hourly this is unaceptable especially as Essex County Council provides a £70K subsidy for two buses per hour and none in Hawkwell.
Essex County Council has come up with even more nonsense in response. It is worried that it might impact on the commercial evening service and cause that to become unsustainable.
So what County are saying is that there would then be no evening 7 services running to, or from Rayleigh?
If that is the case then County is saying that the ECC subsidy on the 7 is not just supporting Ashingdon because the remaining 95% of the 7 evening service cannot surely become unsustainable?
This logic, I am afraid, makes the County concern unfounded.
And bearing in mind that at the point of withdrawal of the evening 8, Arriva supplied passenger numbers in writing, that showed that twice as many boarded to travel the Section Golden X, Hawkwell, Hockley raher than the Section from Golden X,Ashingdon,Hockley then income would actually be INCREASED.
From up to date figures supplied to Brian Guyett the passenger numbers on the Section from Golden X, Ashingdon, Hockley have fallen even more.
(If ECC wants the 2002/3 figures the letter was dated 1 November 2002 and is held by Hawkwell Paish Council. The letter dated 1 November 2002 is now the only evidence of passenger numbers for the 8 evening Service before it was withdrawn because Arriva have deleted all the data from their MI system.)
We cannot see any reason why the transfer of the subsidy cannot be made because the reasons put forward by County are unfounded in logic because the subsidy clearly covers the whole route if it is said that the commercial service on the 7 could become unsustainable if the subsidy were withdrawn. And how can just 5% of the route bring that down?
John has asked the Review Committee at RDC (a scrutiny and challenge Committee) to take this matter up and call Essex County Council in to account for this inequality because this is surely a breach of our Human Rights in Hawkwell. Human Rights claims can be a nuisance sometimes but in this case useful.
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Reply from Arriva
“The point about the evening service is that Arriva run an hourly commercial 7 and the County support a further hourly service.
We know that frequency of service is a factor determining the level of usage and the concern is that if the level reduced to hourly (ie., just the commercial journeys) they may no longer have sufficient patronage to remain commercial.
If that proves to be the case there would, presumably, be a need to replace the service which would cause additional cost for the County Council.”
My Comment
Arriva have been unable in a subsequent email under my challenge to objectively defend the position of concern that they have raised.
My contention is that because the 7 and 8 both run over 95% of the same route that the concern that Arriva raise is of low probability.
I have renewed my request to Essex County Council to restore the evening bus service to Hawkwell so that it can serve our residents and allow users of the District Leisure Centre in Hawkwell to use a bus service, albeit hourly.