BEN Wakerley is chief executive of Warrington's Own Buses.

He explains why despite living in tough times for the industry, there is cause for optimism

IN January Halton Transport, a bus company serving Widnes and Runcorn, ceased trading. The company existed for over 100 years, but recently had come into significant difficulties. We acted quickly to save 30 jobs and several routes.

These are tough times for bus companies up and down the country and Warrington’s Own Buses aren’t immune from these difficulties.

DfT statistics published recently show that Warrington bus journeys (total for all bus companies) have halved in 10 years. Subsidies supporting buses have reduced similarly in that time too.

The relentless dominance of private car ownership is undoubtedly behind the decline. In fact, cars create a double whammy for buses, because traffic congestion delays bus services, which means more buses are needed to keep the same frequency going. This means running costs increase as passenger numbers decline.

Unchecked, this is an unhealthy mix, and the recent closure/sale of bus companies is a Bellwether for this.

Private cars are effectively subsidised through frozen fuel duty (frozen a decade now), road building and cheap/free car parking. I believe unrestrained car use has a high cost for our health and economy, as congestion isn’t good for us or businesses.

On top of this, and peculiarly, buses have to pay additional charges that private cars don’t, such as bus station departure charges, Clean Air Zone entry and Renewable Fuel Transport Obligation. This is strange given that a double decker bus can take many cars off the road. Cars get the benefit of not paying any of these additional charges, which are ultimately borne by bus passenger fares.

The car subsidy/bus charge is most odd in light of the ongoing climate emergency.

It isn’t all doom and gloom though. Over the past three years we’ve managed to make small gains in numbers of passengers by winning new contracts and expanding our business.

I’m encouraged by the fourth Local Transport Plan, which sets a target to reduce car journeys and increase public transport and cycling. The success of the Leigh busway shows that in the right circumstances, people prefer to use public transport. Good public transport systems are a source of civic pride and keep towns and cities vibrant and functional.

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Most recently, UK Government has announced that it is to significantly increase investment in buses.

I warmly welcome this as it presents an opportunity to apply to create zero emission fleets, restore subsidies for lost links and create ‘Superbus’ networks. We will work closely with the council, DfT and our new MPs to apply.

How we run our town is ultimately a choice, which local and national policy can make or break, as well as the choices we each make.