More nighttime buses and a Sunday service? - MP's delight at what new bill could mean for Shrewsbury - video Dailymotion

New powers that could pave the way for extended evening and Sunday bus services in Shrewsbury would be a "game changer", Julia Buckley MP has said.

Transcript

00:00Julia Buckley, Madam Deputy Speaker.

00:03Could I draw attention to my register of interest, also as a co-chair of the British bus APPG.

00:10And today's debate is so important to the people of Shrewsbury, as we have lost over

00:15two-thirds of our bus routes in the last ten years.

00:20As one of the largest towns in the UK, with over 65,000 residents, and yet we haven't

00:25seen a Sunday bus for over a decade.

00:29We have very few evening bus services as well, which is holding back our night-time economy,

00:33despite being a glorious tourist destination.

00:37The new bus powers for franchising will be a game-changer for local councils, such as ours

00:42in Shropshire.

00:43The bus gives us the opportunity to introduce new bus routes if they are considered to be

00:47socially necessary, such as that all-important Sunday service, or some additional stops to

00:51widen access to our current hospital bus route and the new health clinic facilities coming

00:56down the track.

00:57It is our belief that these social routes could eventually build up their passenger numbers,

01:02and ultimately aim to become economically viable in their own right.

01:05And to this end, I wish to speak in support of the Bill, and also in support of the amendment,

01:10new clause 45, which seeks to bring forward requirements on transport authorities to deliver

01:16the minimum level of off-peak and night-time bus services.

01:19This could transform access to employment for many of my residents in my constituency.

01:26We have only a handful of bus services after 6 o'clock, and only one single bus at 8 o'clock.

01:32And yet we are the county town, host to the county's health, governance, economic and education services,

01:39as well as being a major employer for the county of 350,000 residents.

01:45For shift workers, NHS staff, for those working in hospitality, as well, of course, those of us who enjoy hospitality,

01:52we need those buses beyond 8 o'clock.

01:55The Shropshire Bus Services Users Group has consistently campaigned on the need for evening and the all-important Sunday bus services.

02:02And until now, no commercial company would take the risk.

02:06And yet, within the last year, additional bus routes added by my local authority using government B-SIP money

02:14has led to increased passenger numbers and become embedded into our network.

02:19So to overcome the reticent of private companies to widen their route to economic risk,

02:24the local authority is ready to do so.

02:26Where the legislation allows, and where passenger data indicates that all-important demand and socially necessary route.

02:34This amendment would support Shropshire Council by underpinning the need to re-establish the evening and Sunday bus services,

02:41giving the impetus to widen those routes.

02:44To conclude, Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to remind the Minister, as I do in every speech,

02:50that my beautiful town of Shrewsbury lost its Sunday service a decade ago under the last government,

02:56and it's in both our hands to ensure we reinstate it under this Labour government.