418 bus cuts

[Beetlejuice]

As reported in the Oban Times a few weeks back, the Council is intending to reduce the 418 bus service, and it seems that what they're going to do is return to the former timetable. This is not good news, because the former timetable was basically the school bus run plus one other bus to Oban at about 09.45. We'd lose the very handy 14.00 from Tesco (and have to cart our trolley load of messages round to the station ) and - worse, for those of us who use the bus to travel to and from work - there'd be no 17.10 back from Oban .
Not exactly in line with A&BC's Local Development Plan Key Policy Themes of
"Strengthening our Communities Together"
"Creating a Sustainable and Growing Economy Together"
"Maximising our Resources and Reducing Consumption Together"
"Improving our Connectivity and our Infrastructure Together"
(see http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/sites/def ... ized_0.pdf)
If you are concerned about the proposed cut-back, please write lobbying for the retention of the current service (or at least the 14.00 and 17.10 from Oban):

Cllr. Duncan MacIntyre, Lagganbuie, Loch Feochan, Kilmore, Oban, PA34 4QR.
duncan.macintyre@argyll-bute.gov.uk

and

Douglas Blades, Public Transport Officer, Argyll & Bute Council, Kilmory, Lochgilphead, PA31 8RT.
douglas.blades@argyll-bute.gov.uk

[Foxglove]

Yes, the extra service was handy, but..the bus is nearly empty most times. If you choose to live in a rural area you should be prepared for less services. What on earth is it costing to run buses to and from Oban with a couple of passengers on at times?. I for one will not be campaigning to keep what we have just now.

[NickB]

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It will be a shame to lose the current bus service, but it really is a question of 'use it or lose it'.

The services that are to be axed ran virtually empty day after day, week after week.

[brodie]

According to the Oban Times there were over 16500 passenger journeys on this service last year.

Curtailment of this service will certainly disadvantage those who do not have a car, in particular those who use the bus to go to work in Oban and use the 1710 service for the journey home. The loss of this service may mean some people having to give up their jobs.

It will also disadvantage those who do their shopping in Tesco and use the 1400 service that leaves from Tesco Market Street. The loss of this service means having to carry shopping from the Tesco Supermarket to Oban Station to catch the 1410 service, which will be particularly onerous for pensioners.

Starting the service from Oban Station rather than from Tesco Market Street would not incur any saving for the Council, but it would cause great inconvenience for the elderly.

[Beetlejuice]

If you choose to live in a rural area you should be prepared for less services.

Aaaarrgh!! Foxglove, I just HATE that attitude!

I take it you'd be complaining if the Royal Mail decided that, in order to save money, they were going to cut all rural deliveries, and you now had to go and collect your mail from Oban? And perhaps you'd be complaining if the NHS declared that it was too costly to send an ambulance out to rural areas, and you had to bundle your injured/heart-attacked loved one into your car and take them to hospital yourself?

Supposing you hadn't got a car? What then?

Just try and imagine that you haven't got a car, and imagine that you've got to carry that trolley load of stuff you've just bought at Tesco all the way to the station because there's no longer a 1400 bus from Market Street. Imagine that you've got a job in Oban, but would lose it because there was no longer a 1710 bus to get you back from work.

Don't forget that the bus also serves Kilmore, the Barran Estate, Kilninver and North Cuan, as well as various stops on Seil. All right, the bus may leave Ellenabeich carrying one passenger, and arrive back carrying one passenger, but that's not the whole story, and other people get on and off on the way.

Please put yourselves in the shoes of those who do rely on the bus, and at least request the retention of the 1400 and 1710 from Oban.

[NickB]

Aaaarrgh!! Foxglove, I just HATE that attitude!

I take it you'd be complaining if the Royal Mail decided that, in order to save money, they were going to cut all rural deliveries, and you now had to go and collect your mail from Oban?

That - or something similar - is almost certainly going to happen quite soon, although I live in hope that I will still be able to collect my post in Balvicar rather than Oban.

If there have to be cuts I'd rather see the subsidies for empty buses cut than see our rural schools closed, which the council seem hell bent on. Of course we would all like to see all rural services retained at the current level, but when the funding comes from a block grant and the grant is reduced something has to give.

[Foxglove]

Beetlejuice, times are hard. I truly think that we all expect far too much these days..we are namby pambys! At one time the kids used to have to walk to school, many without shoes. Surely it's down to economics? I'm just grateful we have a bus service at all, if I need to use it I'll just have to fit in with whenever it runs. Also, in a community like this most people know someone with a car so could ask for lifts and chip in with the petrol. It seems to me that some expect everything handed to them on a plate and feel deprived if they don't own a car/PC etc. A little stoicism wouldn't go amiss?

[brodie]

It seems to me that this caring committee is advocating that my best course of action as an OAP with no car is that I should invest in some walking boots and a rucksack and walk the 16 miles or so to Oban and then walk home again with my shopping!!

What a charming and considerate lot you are!!

[NickB]

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Brodie,

There is a (subsidised) car scheme using volunteer drivers that has been in place on Seil many years now - cost is 25p a mile. Details are in fact on this site's sister website, Seil island Online - HERE

I could if there is a demand for it set up a space on this forum for people to ask for and offer lifts/car share, or even a dedicated website - although I suspect that would be overkill. We are always happy to offer anyone a lift into town and back if we are going in ourselves, and I am sure many other people would as well. If this is a real community then maybe we should start helping each other instead of expecting someone to subsidise us.

[MonaLott]

2 quick points; first, the local car scheme is primarily linked to the medical centre. It isn't a general taxi service; secondly, the current info from West Coast Motors is that there is no change to the bus schedule to and from Seil.

[NickB]

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While the car scheme is primarily used for medical appointments people do also use it on ocasion to go shopping and it is available for that purpose to elderly or disabled people with no other transport. My wife is one of the volunteer drivers.

Re. West Coast Motors not knowing which services will be cut - this is hardly surprising. It is Argyll and Bute Council who have decided to cut transport subsidies, and have then (unsurprisingly) failed to keep the operators in the picture - although they did apparently see fit to inform the Oban Times. The fact that West Coast Motors have not been told anything cannot be taken in any way as an indication that there is not a threat to the service. At the moment the service is running as usual.

[longshanks]

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I could if there is a demand for it set up a space on this forum for people to ask for and offer lifts/car share, or even a dedicated website - although I suspect that would be overkill. We are always happy to offer anyone a lift into town and back if we are going in ourselves, and I am sure many other people would as well. If this is a real community then maybe we should start helping each other instead of expecting someone to subsidise us.

Well said.

That's pure Big Society, exactly what Cameron wants, great to see you're an adherent and spreading the Big Society philosophy.

When they cut rural post deliveries, I agree with you that its almost certainly going to happen soon, we could set up a rota to do it ourselves.

Great attitude MacB; keep it up, I'm right behind you.

Shanks

[MonaLott]

I'm a car scheme driver too, Nick! Maybe you and I are married?!
As I said, it's not a general taxi service to take folk like Beetlejuice to and from work (unless he's no well).

As your wife will have told you, Argyll & Bute council have significantly cut their car scheme subsidy, which is a shame and a poor example of Clown Cameron's Big Society. However, I agree with Longshanks that unsubsidised actions such as you suggest are the last resort and only remaining way forward. Lead on MacB.

[NickB]

I'm a car scheme driver too, Nick! Maybe you and I are married?!
As I said, it's not a general taxi service to take folk like Beetlejuice to and from work (unless he's no well).

As your wife will have told you, Argyll & Bute council have significantly cut their car scheme subsidy, which is a shame and a poor example of Clown Cameron's Big Society. However, I agree with Longshanks that unsubsidised actions such as you suggest are the last resort and only remaining way forward. Lead on MacB.

Brodie says he is a carless pensioner, so technically eligible for the car scheme even for shopping purposes . Mission statement from NAVCS says:

The car scheme is a registered Scottish charity (SCO37509), providing a community service for local residents who do not have the use of a car and who find it difficult or awkward to use public transport

Anyway, have set up a Car Share forum because - bus services and Call Me Dave's Big Society BS notwithstanding - it might just be useful if people used it.

[MonaLott]

Being a pensioner won't qualify Beetlejuice for a drive into work under the car scheme banner. Many of the volunteers are pensioners. The key issue is passenger health and capability. So it's fine that you have set up an alternative car share forum..... Posh Dave will be most pleased with you. I'm sure you will let the car scheme coordinator know. Hopefully none of the car scheme funding bodies will use your new forum as a reason to cut support for the car scheme (as Posh Dave would probably want them to). Maybe you should have a wee prior discussion with the local coordinator at this particularly difficult and sensitive time for funding....

[NickB]

Maybe you should have a wee prior discussion with the local coordinator at this particularly difficult and sensitive time for funding....

I shan't bother; you can discuss it with Margaret next time you see her if you want to though.

So now the secret is out eh Mona - I am a galloping Tory

[MonaLott]

All I'm saying is that, at the exact time when the various funders of the voluntary car scheme are looking for justifications to cut contributions, your well-intentioned invention of an alternative voluntary car sharing scheme for Seil might prove highly counter-productive, at least from the point of view of the frail and most vulnerable sections of our community (which traditionally of course is the most frequent victim of Tory policies). Why you think it appropriate that I should bring your new invention to the attention of the car scheme coordinator is beyond me. In short, your intervention may well be badly mistimed, given the depth of the local transport funding crisis and of course the facts that, as yet at least, there has been absolutely zero change in our bus services (and the bus company currently foresees no change either). You can't believe everything you read in the Oban Times, can you?!

[NickB]

All I'm saying . . . (snipped)

Yawn yawn yawn.

[longshanks]

Mona
I don't think that the Voluntary Car Scheme will lose funding because NickB has set up his own Car scheme, neither do I think that the bus service will be cut because of his lift sharing initiative.
I say good on him for getting up off his arse to organise these initiatives on behalf of Seil. His scheme is a great idea. Lets all spread the word because not many round here use this website.
Shanks

[MonaLott]

Very mature stuff from the chatmaster!!