Bus users put forward plans to improve 305 service as operator decides to quit

Feb 17 2010 By Polly Manser, Buckinghamshire Advertiser

USERS of the 'useless' 305 bus service are to seize a chance to improve it after operator Jason Tours announced, just a month into its contract, that it would only run the service until May.

Passengers argue the recently reduced service, introduced on January 4 and running from Beaconsfield to Uxbridge, is so infrequent and stops running so early that it is of no use.

At a public meeting in Seer Green last Wednesday, led by chairman of Seer Green Parish Council Phil Clark, about 50 users of the 305 were told by a county councillor that the consultation process by Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) had been 'an absolute sham'.

A show of hands showed near unanimous support to ask BCC put out to tender a new service that would merge the former Arriva 305 with the Jordans Shuttle bus and the late afternoon 305 currently run by Carousel.

This had been suggested by Peter Cartwright, a county councillor and bus campaigner from High Wycombe.

He said he had done extensive research by travelling on the 305 bus, which passes through Seer Green, Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter, and speaking to 200 passengers about what they needed.

But the meeting heard that he had submitted this suggestion for a combined service to officers before the end of the consultation period, on November 16, only to find that the tenders were already in.

He said: "So all that consultation was an absolute sham."

He added he believed that by combining three services there would be adequate funds for improvement.

The meeting had been due to vote to proceed on one of three other options: to divert the 336, to improve the timetable on the current 305 within the constraints of one driver and one bus, or to create an hourly shuttle service between Beaconsfield and Chalfont St Peter via St Giles.

But following research by Mr Clark, bus user Colin Walker and other bus users, none of these options was found workable.

When Mr Cart-wright suggested a fourth option which would run t w o hourly, several people told him he was 'a breath of fresh air'.

It was resolved that Mr Clark, Mr Cartwright and others would submit a s u g g e s t e d timetable to BCC within days.

Councillor Tim Butcher, who represents The Chalfonts and Seer Green on BCC, said: "We have the kernel of a plan and we need the force of your views to ram this home. We need to use every avenue to achieve our objectives and make sure the officers do what we want."

Mr Clark said: "They h a v e n ' t made their minds up yet so we have a chance."

Richard Stine, communications officer for Bucks County Council, said: "Our transportation officers are having to make difficult decisions, working to tight timescales in times of budget constraint.

"We are having to make savings of 10 per cent on our supported bus routes spend and we want to make every penny count.

"In respect of the changes to route 305, we went through the best process we could within the time allowed, writing to parish and district council-lors and local interest groups with a range of options we felt were affordable and inviting feedback.

"The new timetable sought to balance requests from local users with our financial limitations and cost £20,000pa more in support than the previous arrangement. We're very happy to look at other options but have to bear in mind that we have a finite budget."