Buses unreliable, inaccessible and they don’t take people to the places they need to go
Cramlington and Killingworth Labour and Co-operative MP, Emma Foody, today (22 May) raised in Parliament concerns that local bus services are ‘unreliable, inaccessible and they don’t take them to the places they need to go’.
The intervention during Business Questions in the House of Commons came following Ms Foody’s Cramlington and Killingworth Big Bus Survey, completed by hundreds of people across her constituency.
Speaking in the Commons, Ms Foody said:
“The villages and towns across my Cramlington and Killingworth constituency rely heavily on our bus services. Despite this, my Big Bus Survey that I’ve been running recently shows that local people too often have find buses to be unreliable, inaccessible and they don’t take them to the places they need to go.
“Will the upcoming Bus Services Bill be an opportunity to debate how this government is putting communities back in the driving seat and how a system can work for all of our areas?”
In response, the Leader of the House of Commons replied “I’m really pleased to hear about the results of her Big Bus Survey. She’s absolutely right people want affordable, reliable bus services that take them to places where they need to go. And that’s why our Bus Services Bill will give local areas the power to do that”.
Following the exchange, Ms Foody added:
“I am delighted that so many people have completed my Big Bus Survey and shared their experience of using buses across North Tyneside, Northumberland and Newcastle. What is clear is that the current bus system doesn’t serve local people with an unreliable, inaccessible service that doesn’t take people where they need.
“I welcome the Bus Services Bill will give greater powers to communities to put passengers back in the driving seat and improve these vital services for my constituents”.