Privatisation changed the transport landscape. At the extreme end, it led to survival of the fittest, with several companies in the same large town or city looking for fares. Inevitably, it was the strongest that survived, and normality resumed with conurbations well served by new companies.

A good bus service is very important to communities. There are issues with how far a private company will go to provide a service when profitability is the first priority. It has led to a debate with outlying villages often finding that their services into town have been cut because of a lack of demand.

Funding and responsibility

Just recently, it appears that cuts in government funding to councils could mean that the most vulnerable members of society, the elderly and disabled, will lose services because concessionary fares can no longer be guaranteed; there has been a one-third drop since 2010, and the future looks no better. There has been a drop of £261m in funding since the Coalition came to power. It means the councils have had to find funding elsewhere, and inevitably something else is suffering.

It has often meant the loss of rural services, which affect a smaller number of people, but their need is just as critical. Similarly, school services have come under the microscope. Some services are required by law; it appears that the rate payer is beginning to foot the bill rather than central government.

Self help

There is a village in Somerset, Cheddar, where the residents have taken matters into their own hands and organised a shopping day, with everyone paying £5 for the privilege. There are other issues, even though current funding is guaranteed until 2015-2016. Free travel for the elderly and disabled off peak is enshrined in law; it’s a matter of who will pay in the medium term and what other services might suffer.

Private coach companies exist in every town, and the majority will have a range of different clients. That village in Cheddar will certainly have found a local company to make that weekly trip, and it will be in the diary accordingly. Those companies are obviously happy to have regular bookings because the economy has not been strong of late, and that has affected the profitability of every commercial concern.

Promising future

Things are improving, and it does mean that these local coach companies can begin to plan for the future. It may be that they have delayed changing a coach or they have had to use an old vehicle simply for the short trips. There are companies, in fact, that not only sell new coaches but also have second-hand coaches if the budget goes no further. If rental is an alternative to cover a particularly busy period or to cover for emergencies, there are companies like moseley coach sales that offer the complete service and after-sales support such as paintwork, bodywork, spare parts, and every other assistance through a network of associates nationwide.

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