Green Party councillors in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are today calling for the Combined Authority Mayor to bring the whole bus network into public ownership.
The call comes from all Green Councillors that sit on Peterborough City, Cambridge City, Huntingdonshire District, Fenland District and St Neots Town Council after Stagecoach East announced last week they would be cutting around 15 services in the region at the end of October.
The intervention comes after the bus company had taken taxpayers money that is subsided by the Government to critical rural services that will now be removed, and taxpayers will not have services run in areas across the region.
Cllr Nicola Day, Leader of the Green Group on Peterborough City Council said:
“Buses are vital to creating fairer, greener communities. We have to accept, not everyone drives. In urban areas bus services can help tackle congestion and air pollution - especially where old diesel buses are replaced by electric vehicles. In rural areas, buses can serve as a lifeline, from school and college students, nurses, factory workers to the elderly, and the disabled.
Cllr Naomi Bennett, Leader of the Green and Independent Group on Cambridge City Council said:
“Local children in my ward rely on the buses to get safely to and from school. It's not realistic for an 11 year old to cycle over 5 miles along busy main roads . Kids have already lost school time because of lockdown. We call upon all parents to join us in insisting that the CPCA prioritises replacing school journeys”.
Cllr Daniel Laycock, Green Town Councillor on St Neots Town Council said:
“Stagecoach has acted in a self interested way. They’ve only viewed this from a profiteering point and not a community need. Stagecoach should be ashamed of himself for removing these critical and vital services from those who truly need them during a cost of living crisis.
As Greens we’ll be pushing for a full robust and connected public transport revolution that is still possible in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, and we will do everything we can to turn that into a reality for residents across the region.”
“Greens in government have been taking a lead on reducing costs for those using public transport – in Scotland, Greens successfully pushed for free bus travel for all those under 22 and in Herefordshire, Greens on the Council ensured that Covid Recovery funds were used to provide free weekend buses. Meanwhile in Germany, where Greens are in coalition government, there has been the introduction of a 9 euros monthly rail ticket.”
