Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats

Powys Lib Dems continue the fight for Community Transport

As the future of community transport schemes hangs in the balance, Powys Liberal Democrats have continued to lobby the Assembly Government and will tomorrow call upon the Minister during plenary to speak up on continuing financial support for these invaluable schemes.

Commenting Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates stated: "Reliable transport is a vital component of a sustainable rural community, to increase the accessibility of rural areas so that people can travel to work or access local services.

"Community transport plays a key role as for many people it can be the only way to travel around, whether through disability or old age, or simply through the lack of any other mode of transport. Sadly in this current economic climate many schemes are suffering, unable to survive with increasing costs of inflation.

"Existing schemes such as the Newtown Dial-a-Ride service offer a real lifeline to the communities they serve, giving local people access to key facilities and activities. They allow young people their independence and free the elderly and disabled from dependence.

"In rural areas local bus services are often difficult to access, particularly for the elderly and disabled. The Assembly Government must remove all barriers to community transport, such as by enabling older people to use their free bus passes on these services and do all it can to support the continued delivery of these schemes."

Brecon and Radnorshire AM Kirsty Williams said: "I am greatly angered that the Minister has still not announced his intentions for the future of this scheme. With only a few weeks of the current funding remaining the service providers have very little time to prepare for any changes that they may be forced to make if funding is not continued. It is the vulnerable service users who will suffer the hardest if the scheme is terminated or if the providers are not given enough time to find alternative funding.

"The pilots across Powys, and Wales as a whole, have allowed vulnerable residents who are fully entitled to free public transport, but who have no such provisions in their area to use community transport as alternative - these people are on the whole car-less and living in isolated locations - if this funding stops they will be left stranded or paying higher costs for private transport. In this difficult economic climate this means hitting those who are struggling the most the hardest.

"One struggling pensioner has gone from being able to access free community transport from Knighton to Hereford hospital to having to pay more than £50 for the round trip - a price that they cannot afford during this recession. All this because the Minister is remaining silent on the future of the scheme.

"Yet again this is an example of the Assembly Government unacceptably pulling the rug from under the feet of successful schemes. The Minister must make his plans for the scheme clear as the current lack of information is both unreasonable and irresponsible."

Notes:

• In 2005 the Welsh Assembly Government provided £3 million to pilot the Community Transport Concessionary Fares Initiative, which supports 15 community transport schemes providing free travel for Pensioners severely disabled people unable to access traditional or modern low floor public transport by bus.
• Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) was awarded up to £381,453 over three years to provide free community transport to Pensioners and people whose disability prevents them using regular service buses.
• In 2007 a further £900,000 was awarded to enable the scheme to continue operations for a further year until March 2009.
• An independent review of the initiative was due to be presented to the Welsh Assembly Government in December 2008 to evaluate the scheme, so that a decision on its future could be made. Neither the Community Transport Association nor those implementing the pilots, who contributed to the report, have had sight of it or have been given any update on whether the WAG deems it a successor not.
• In a letter to the Deputy First Minister Kirsty has called for a decision on the future of the Community Transport Concessionary Fares Initiative. Kirsty also questioned the Minister for Finance and Public service Delivery during plenary on 11th February on future funding for the scheme, but was given no definite answer. Mick challenged the First Minister on the 10th February and has a tabled a number of written Questions to the Minister for Transport.

End/Diwedd