Joined up public transport…. Or maybe not!
It can be like buses…. they all come along at once. Occasionally I get a run of issues from constituents which are broadly very similar. Now, on very high profile issues, like the Care Homes closures or the massive housing development proposals for Staffordshire, I expect a hefty ‘post bag’.
But over the last three weeks I’ve had a dozen or so people contact on one particular aspect of transport. The simple question has been, why does it cost almost as much to travel two train stops in Staffordshire up to the West Midlands border as it does to travel absolutely anywhere once within the West Midlands?
What’s happened to the ‘joined up travel by rail across the West Midlands Region’ which is being advertised endlessly during prime time tv? Remember that, according to Government, the WM Region covers all of Birmingham, the Black Country and the surrounding Counties. Well that may be the case in theory but when it comes to ‘transport’ it’s not the real picture. Not at all.
I didn’t realise until I looked into it but Birmingham and the Black Country have what is called a Passenger Transport Executive. That means that Local Government there has significant control over all forms of public transport, including routes, timetables and, importantly, pricing. However, in the Counties there are no PTEs. Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire etc. have almost no control over buses or trains or pricing or routes. So, quite simply that means that people who live in the Shire Counties pay much more for public transport than our neighbours in what we know as the West Midlands.
Now normally I finish off my posts with what I’m going to do about it but I’m afraid this time there is nothing I can do. What we need is for central government to allow the Counties to have PTEs because that would mean a better deal for local people, particularly in rural areas. Currently the bus and rail companies can charge almost what they want and decide almost entirely where and how they operate.
If we want a joined up public transport system which makes people really want to use it… one which means kids can travel to school outside the County, people can commute to work in Birmingham and if we want rural areas in Staffordshire to have any sort of public bus service, and all this at a fair cost, it needs sorting out.
In the meantime it looks to me that we are officially second class citizens in Staffordshire when it comes to public transport!
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2 comments
Matthew, you are quite right when you say Staffordshire and Rural people are second class citizens! A resident of Orgreave has had the most terrible time to get the ‘bus which travels between Kings Bromley and Alrewas to stop at Orgreave cross roads, because the drivers insist there is no ‘bus stop and despite her 82years of age she has been told she must go to Kings Bromley or Alrewas, two miles each way from Orgreave to get on the bus. It has taken twelve months to get Arriva to agree that the ‘bus can stop and a ‘bus stop will be erected. I just hope they keep to their word and any further rudeness and inconsiderate behaviour, especially from one driver will stop. One thing is certain I will be monitoring the situation very closely!
I read with interest what Margaret says. We too have had a similar issue around village public transport.
Our problem was that whilst everyone was in agreement that there shpould be a public bus service when the parish council negotiated to set one up on a three month trial hardly anyone used it.
From reading Margaret’s comment I assume it was slightly different in that the bus already passed through but did not stop officially. In that situation it makes perfect sense to stop off, even if only for one or two people. hat is cost effective common sense.
I think Mr Ellis’ point is broader in that people in the West Midlands appear to get subsidised public transport but the moment you get into rural Shires that does not happen. If we are serious about becoming more environmentally astute and also to be fair to all, as the buzz phrase seems to be, that must include rural counties too.
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