Presentation of petition to Chair, Councillors and committee
Petition was formally submitted to Reading Borough council today evening.
There was a large number of residents present to support and raise questions.
Formal response is below. In summary, respected councillor Ennis exhibited masterclass in bureaucracy and lacked empathy to the concerns raised.
Caversham Heights councillors Isobel and Saadia are working hard in the background to save the Pink 22 service, they are meeting with CEO of Reading Buses and also organising a open meeting with Reading Bus and MP Matt Rhoda.
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Below is the formal response from Councillor Ennis (Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport):
Reading Borough Council acknowledges the concerns raised by residents in the wake of Reading Buses decision to terminate the Route 22 Bus Services. We understand that this decision by Reading Buses was not taken lightly and comes as a result of a combination of factors, including, but not limited to, limited growth in patronage following the pandemic, rising costs, prolonged road closures which impacted service efficiency and patronage, and recent further falls in patronage following the reinstatement of a full service.
Although Reading Buses have continued to operate this service at a loss, in the hope that patronage would recover and this has been supported by the Council, ultimately the Council understands that the service does not cover its basic running costs, and it is not financially prudent or responsible to continue to run the service at a loss
The Councils Local Transport Plan, the Reading Transport Strategy 2040, sets out the Councils Policy for Public Transport, and its aspirations for the future of Public Transport. To this end, the Council has continued to explore alternative options with Reading Buses to protect Bus Services throughout Reading. Regrettably, despite these discussions, the bus operator has been unable to identify a viable bus service that would be cost-neutral
The Council has explored alternative options with local bus operators; however it has not been possible to agree a commercially viable solution to enable a bus service to continue on the full route of the Pink 22 service, and therefore none of the alternatives are possible without external financial support. It is understood that the X40 route operated by Thames Travel will continue to operate on its existing route which provides a service for part of the Pink 22 route.
The Council has provided significant support for bus services across the borough, including between 2022-2025 investing £5m into offering subsidised bus tickets for Reading residents, to support patronage growth including on the Pink 22 route which was made possible through the Council securing grant from Government for this purpose. In addition, the Council supports Readibus to support comprehensive dial-a-ride services being available for residents who qualify for this service. including those living in Caversham Heights.
In light of this decision by Reading Buses, the Council is now reviewing revised guidance from DfT, relating to social necessary bus services, and seeking external legal advice, to understand how this may relate to the withdrawal of Route 22.
Alongside this, the Council is reviewing the allocation of the limited revenue funding it currently has available to support bus services with a view to ascertaining if any support would be available moving forward.