Bus forum to champion better services

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A BUS forum which aims to champion better services for passengers has been set up by two city councillors.

The Worcester Bus Passenger Forum will see city councillors and senior management from First bus company meet every quarter to tackle concerns raised by passengers.

It has been set up by Labour city councillors Alan Amos and Pat Agar in response to last year's cuts to bus services, which saw the county council attempt to slash £2.5million from its £4million budget for subsidised routes.

It is hoped the forum will enable councillors to address complaints and suggestions made by local bus users and be more involved in service and timetable changes before they happen.

Coun Amos said the main aim of the forum was to improve the punctuality and reliability of services and draw First's attention to issues where people have complained.

"Given the recent savage county council cuts to services, and numerous other changes to routes and timetables, we felt it was time to open up a permanent dialogue with the bus company where proposed service changes can first be discussed with councillors on behalf of their residents," he said.

"Services in areas such as Tolladine have been particularly badly hit. A dialogue with the bus companies will enable both sides to see if any better alternatives can be reached to keep disruptions to a minimum. I am hopeful that reasonable people can come up with ways to improve bus transport in the city."

The next forum is due to take place on Monday, April 2.