COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Bus and rail passengers in the West Midlands could face increased fares and see some free services scrapped under shock budget cuts.



Transport chiefs, who are trying to save £14million over the next two years, are consulting residents on where the axe should fall.

Centro, the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, has been tasked with reducing its budget by ten per cent by the leaders of the seven West Midlands district councils, including Coventry City Council.

The cuts proposals put forward by the Midlands councils could see children paying two-thirds of adult bus fares instead of half, free rail and tram travel for eligible people such as pensioners removed or a nominal annual charge of around £30 introduced, and the grant for Ring and Ride reduced or possibly even scrapped.

Other possible changes include a reduction in funding for child bus fare concessions, cutting the number of taxpayer funded bus services and removing the funds for some free travel on buses after 11pm.

Centro has already saved nearly a third of its operational expenditure over the last four years and will hold a special meeting on Monday when members will discuss the potential cuts and will be asked to give the go-ahead for a public consultation.

Centro chairman and Coventry City councillor responsible for transport, John McNicholas, said: “These are difficult options and if implemented would have a significant impact on the travelling public.

"That’s why it’s so important for people to tell us through the forthcoming consultation where they think we should make the savings and what effect those reductions would have on the way they travel.”

Coun McNicholas added that a ten per cent budget reduction would mean an “inescapable impact” on frontline services because of the level of Centro expenditure required by law.

Coun Roger Lawrence, chairman of the West Midlands Joint Committee, which is made up of the seven West Midlands council leaders, said: “Right across the country local authorities are being forced to make extremely tough choices because of the spending cuts being imposed by Government.

“The West Midlands is no exception and all areas of expenditure including transport need to be looked at to see where potential savings can be made.

"The options are not easy but I’m afraid this is the financial reality that has been imposed upon local Government.”

Pensioners vow to fight huge cuts to Coventry bus and rail services

A campaign group has hit out at plans to slash free bus and rail services as part of sweeping transport cuts across the West Midlands.

Centro has been asked to find £14million of savings over the next two years by the leaders of the seven West Midlands district councils, including Coventry City Council, as reported by the Telegraph.

This could see free travel for elderly people scrapped and fares for youngsters increased elsewhere as the transport authority tries to cut the equivalent of ten per cent from its budget.

The potential cuts have been met with anger by the West Midlands Pensioners’ Convention who say that free travel for the elderly is a “universal benefit”.

A spokesman said: “We wish to express, in the strongest possible way, our opposition to the proposal by Centro to end the free local rail and tram concession to pensioners and limit even further the Ring and Ride service.

“We have many affiliated branches across the West Midlands, with over 20,000 members and we know how passionately pensioners feel about the importance of our free bus pass and that includes the right to free travel on rail and trams across the West Midlands.

“Even before this announcement by Centro, the West Midlands Pensioners Convention has won support for our Love Your Bus Pass petition, with now nearly 30,000 signatures.

“These proposals will make us even more determined to ensure pensioners right to free travel as a universal benefit, not only here in the West Midlands, but nationally.”

Centro are set to consult residents on the plans which could also see grants for Ring and Ride reduced or even scrapped, a reduction in funding for child bus fare concessions, cuts to taxpayer-funded bus services and removing funds for some free travel on buses after 11pm.

Petition launched against cuts to the city’s Ring and Ride service

A petition against potential cuts to the city’s Ring and Ride service can be signed by visiting Coventry bus station.

Anyone wanting to add their signature to the call to halt a possible cuts in grants for the service can pop in to the Star Express Cafe at Pool Meadow.

Centro has been tasked with trying to save £14million from its budget over the next two years by the leaders of the seven West Midlands district councils, including Coventry City Council.

The cuts could see the grant for Ring and Ride reduced or possibly even scrapped, with other changes including a reduction in funding for child bus fare concessions and cutting the number of taxpayer funded bus services.

Coventry and Warwickshire commuters hit by new year train and bus fare rises



Coventry and Warwickshire's commuters will be hit by yet more train and bus fare rises from today.

Rail ticket prices have risen by 2.8 per cent, while single adult bus fares have risen by 10p, weekly bus travelcards have gone up by 50p and monthly travelcards will cost £1.50 more per month.

Although the rail fare increase is the smallest for four years, campaigners say train prices are rising three times faster than incomes.

Increases in the cost of season tickets mean that commuters who live in Coventry but work in London could be paying £5,440 for an annual season ticket.

£7m transport cuts will see Coventry Ring and Ride fares increase

Ring and Ride services will go up in price but run less often after transport chiefs slashed £7million from their budget.

Councillors serving on Centro, the region’s transport authority, have cut the charity’s annual grant by £2m – down to £8.5m – as they approved their budget for 2014/15 today.

This will see Ring and Ride’s door-to-door transport run between 8am and 8pm Monday to Saturday, compared to 8am to 11pm daily as is currently available.

The cost of each trip will also rise to £1 from 60p, although Centro said it would work closely with the charity to mitigate any effect on users.

A peaceful protest was held outside Centro’s Birmingham base before the board meeting by the West Midlands Pensioners Convention, who collected more than 60,000 signatures in support of Ring and Ride, and they were joined by Coventry’s Euro MP Nikki Sinclaire.

The major cuts to the budget came after seven West Midlands district councils, including Coventry City Council, ordered Centro to find major savings.

A reduction of five per cent in 2014/15, followed by a further five per cent the following year, means that Centro’s levy on the councils will drop by £7.3m for the coming year.

The overall budget will fall from £146m to £138.7m, and also sees a £1m reduction in bus station and infrastructure maintenance, changes to subsidised bus access standards and measures to reduce financing costs.

Centro members did however vote to keep half-price bus fares for children and free tram and train travel for eligible people, as well as safeguarding free bus travel after 11pm for older people, the blind and disabled.

Centro chairman, Coun John McNicholas, said: “Our public consultation clearly showed was that our services are highly valued by many people.

“The responses we received have played a key role in helping Centro members decide how and where to make the necessary savings.

“As always, the passenger is our top priority and I believe we have succeeded in protecting them as far as possible in setting this very challenging budget.”

The authority will cut its own operational and staffing costs by £3m (15 per cent) – £1m more than originally planned for 2014/15.

Coun McNicholas said that 15 per cent cut will “inevitably impact further on Centro’s staff and the way they deliver services”.