WHEN it comes to making our public transport better, there’s nothing like real people power.
The people reading this know what you and your community need to get around better than anyone else.
That’s why when I came up with the WESTlocal bus services, I wanted local people to be at the heart of it.
WESTlocal is my scheme that lets communities get their hands on cash to design and run their very own, brand new, not-for-profit bus services.
I am delighted that so many local communities and organisations took up my challenge and put together winning bids.
Because of their involvement, the routes are imaginative and designed with the needs of their communities in mind. They’ve benefited hundreds of local people already, and I’m pleased to say there are now more of them.
Alongside the two existing routes, the new WESTlocals – eight in total – started operating on September 1, and are getting people around in Keynsham, Yate, Charfield, Chew Valley, Winford, Avonmouth, and to SGS College, to name just a few places.
Other WESTlocal routes are being extended because of the feedback people have given.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the stories that have come through from the people involved.
In The Dings, they’ve numbered their WESTlocal 61 in honour of 87-year-old Marilyn, who moved there in 1961 and has been a fierce campaigner for the new service.
The 99 Chew Valley service has been nicknamed the “Cat” because of the shape of its route. This wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t a real sense of community ownership. How many other bus routes have got their own nickname?
People who use the WESTlocals have told me they really value the service, especially the great community spirit on board. They’re getting people to work, to the shops, and connecting them to the busier routes into our towns and cities.
There’s a big debate happening about the kind of public transport our country needs. Here in our region, we are taking forward these conversations too.
I am determined that, whatever happens, we create public transport in the West of England that is more sustainable and represents value for money for local people, because only by making buses more affordable, reliable, and frequent will we encourage people to leave the car at home and use other ways of getting around.
I don’t underestimate the scale of this challenge. There’s much more to do.
The success of WESTlocal has shown that local communities want to get involved, so I’m going to be working with the government to get the West of England more money for these kinds of projects.
We’ve shown that there’s demand for them locally and I’m determined to aim even bigger next time.
I’m doing everything I can to make sure the West of England has a bus system we can be proud of – one that’s better for passengers and better for the planet, too.