AN open letter to all prospective candidates for the forthcoming election for the Thirsk and Malton seat.

We, the North Ryedale Public Transport Group, now 13 years old, consists of public transport providers, organisers and users and has never seen the area’s bus users face such a plight as they do today. The provision of local bus services has probably halved, because public transport funding has been reduced to a fraction of what it was when we were first formed.

Part of this stems from North Yorkshire County Council policy, but much results directly from several years of Government funding cuts.

One MP suggested changing the law so that bus pass holders could pay something towards their fare if they chose to. Such views underline the Government’s disappointing misunderstanding of bus travel, since any concession holder wishing to pay can already do so by not showing their pass.

Passengers suffer because the vicious circle caused by fewer buses means that less people are able to use them and fares rise to compensate. The reimbursement rate to bus operators for concession travel in North Yorkshire is inadequate and again has to be buoyed up by increasing fares. North Yorkshire County Council is even considering not allowing the use of bus passes on some Sunday services.

It appears that the bus network in Northern Ryedale is reaching a point of critical mass and could soon start to implode. The old, young and disabled are already suffering greatly. Many have no access to cars and feel even more isolated. Community transport, using volunteer drivers, is already finding it difficult to cope.

Many feel that this will not affect them. It will. Several local employers rely on foreign workers who have no cars and already struggle to get to work. Similarly, fewer overseas visitors are coming to the area because transport is difficult once they are here. This also applies to the increasing number of young city dwellers who see no point in owning a car because of the high insurance and parking costs. They also find it easier to holiday elsewhere, or even abroad, than to try to get around our area. All this is money lost to local businesses.

Considering that every £1 spent on bus funding returns £3 to £5 in wider benefits, bus commuters generate £64bn in economic output every year, 40 per cent of people over 60 use the bus at least once a week, 18 per cent of the UK population hold a bus pass and that all our local towns are suffering increasing traffic congestion and parking problems, shouldn’t we help people to use buses, rather than hindering them?

Candidates, would you please give us a clear unequivocal statement as to what policies you intend to implement to rebuild our bus system?

Brian Baker, chairman of North Ryedale Public Transport Group, Pickering