Tories finally support Lib Dem bus campaign

6.41.11pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 31st Jan 2007

Local Lib Dem councillors were celebrating this week as Norfolk County Council agreed to support their long-running campaign for tighter regulation of bus services.

Since 2003 the Liberal Democrats at Norfolk County Council have been calling for local action to see the bus industry subjected to some sort of regulation, like other major public service organisations. Now, after four years of waiting, the Council's cabinet member for planning and transportation has finally agreed to write to transport secretary, Douglas Alexander, to insist that transport regulators are given sufficient power to have a real influence on local bus service performance.

Lib Dem councillor for Costessey, Tim East, welcomed the Government's latest proposals to give local authorities more power to influence bus services but warned that the changes would be useless without a 'watchdog' tough enough to penalise poorly performing bus companies.

Cllr East said: "There is only one way in which bus operators may actually start to uphold standards expected of them - that is the establishment of an independent regulatory body. This would deliver tangible, long-lasting improvements on the ground. The present absence of regulation means that bus operators are largely unaccountable for their actions. Until the Government wakes up to this fact passengers will continue to suffer at the hands of complacent bus firms. It is the responsibility of the County Council to collectively lobby the Department of Transport on this issue. Let's hope that the decision taken this week to make Norfolk's views known is the start of a concerted and determined campaign that will make the Government see sense."

The decision to write a letter to Douglas Alexander was made at a meeting of the Council's Planning, Transportation and the Environment, Waste and Economic Development Review Panel on Wednesday 24.01.07.

The Government white paper, 'Putting Passengers First', published on 12 December 2006, considers the issues affecting bus patronage and sets out the Government's proposals for the future direction of bus policy. More details are at the Department for transport website.

Related Link:

Department for Transport - Government Bus Policy.