Wycombe District Council

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Wycombe District Council was formed in 1974, when Wycombe Rural District Council, Wycombe Borough Council and Marlow Urban Council were merged.

Hallmark January 1988. Bus Passes. By County and District Councillor Geoffrey Spear

The dust has settled following our campaign to negotiate a more acceptable concessionary fare scheme, The original 4 day passes will now be valid for 6 days, enabling pensioners and the disabled to travel at half fare from Tuesday to Sunday inclusive. The cost will be £2.00 to each holder plus a contribution of £16.20 per pass from the District Council (as against £2 plus £13.50 for the original 4 day validity). Whilst we have now shaped Council policy to meet the objectives of our 81st Club, I am wondering if, in the long term, our senior citizens might not prefer to receive the £16.20 and pay for their own transport! Our local bus services, whilst attenuated as to frequency, are now more comprehensive than for some while (locking forward to the new service linking Lacey Green, Speen and Hampden for the first time).

The long term outlook is not good as the costs of Alder Valley are escalating in Wycombe and South Bucks at a faster rate than elsewhere, in fact, well ahead of the inflation rate in general. The County Council is now actively pursuing alternatives such as "dial-a-bus'' (Milton Keynes), "hospital visiting" (Aylesbury and North Bucks) "nostal buses" (Fawley and South Bucks), "minibus" (Bourne End), "market day coach" (Kimble and Longwick). Progress is difficult owing to the incredibly complex state of the law whereby alterations in services have to be given public hearing before the Traffic Commissioners. The County Council now has two of its members (of whom I am one) appointed Deputy Commissioners to safeguard the public interest. Oxfordshire County Council has taken a more radical step, they have almost discontinued direct subsidies to the national bus companies. Instead, they allocate funds to a number of parish transport groups who can then either negotiate services with the bus company or finance their own local minibus. Their publication "Local Transport in Oxfordshire" is invaluable reading for everyone concerned in the future of rural transport.

Although users grumble about the escalation in bus fares, in fact the County Council subsidy on many sparsely used rural routes is several times that of the fares paid by the travelling public, ratepayers might well save money by ceasing to underwrite the enormous cost of the present heavy duty buses and instead provide a taxi for the few passengers we see travelling on some routes!