Droitwich Labour Party welcomes the decision announced today to continue the bus service from Bromsgrove to Birmingham and back as this is a vital service for residents of our town.
However, we have several reservations and concerns about what is being proposed:
1. The new service is currently being offered for 6 months only (subject to review) and we believe our residents need something more definite than that.
2. In the absence of details, to travel to Birmingham could now involve 3 separate costs, making the journey more expensive than it used to be coming at a time when everyone is feeling the impact of rising costs in every area of their lives.
3. 3 separate journeys (6 if you count the return) will be extremely difficult for those with disability and mobility issues especially if they’re attending hospital appointments.
4. Will the timetable for the new service “marry” up with that of the 144 into and out of Bromsgrove allowing time to change and not leaving bus users waiting for an overly long period of time for that connection?
5. There is no Sunday service – yet people in certain jobs still must work on a Sunday and hospital appointments can now take place on the Sabbath, causing difficulties for a significant number of people.
All this at a time when our local rail service (West Midlands Railways) is returning to the unreliability and chaos it was famous for before the pandemic began and taxi and fuel prices have risen.
We call on all decision makers from the County Council and transport providers to continue to look for a longer term, more sustainable solution to this issue that does not leave the residents of Droitwich Spa stranded, out of pocket and disillusioned with our decision makers.
Droitwich Labour Party