Looming bus route changes may not have considered impact on poor, meeting hears

Looming changes to bus routes in the Royal Borough have come under scrutiny over a potentially lacking review of the impact on people with low incomes.

The council is looking to cut, reroute and join services because rising costs mean it cannot afford to subsidise certain bus routes on a ‘like-for-like basis’.

But Councillor Helen Price (tBfI, Clewer and Dedworth East) spotted an omission in an impact equality assessment, included in a report on the planned changes.

At Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Cllr Price said: “It [the assessment] refers to the impact on age and disability but it doesn’t make any reference that this will have an impact for people on social economic considerations like low income – and it will do.

“If the services are changed or reduced; if somebody is poor, they haven’t got a car, they can’t afford a taxi and there are no buses – they are going to be adversely affected.”

Cllr Price said she had raised the problem with the Royal Borough’s equality officer who was investigating.

Council transport lead Geoff Hill (Oldfield, independent) replied: “I did ask officers to investigate because it is actually a very, very important point.

“We have actually looked at this when we compiled the routes so we’ve done everything we can to make sure people are ok.”

There are 13 bus routes in Windsor and Maidenhead which are financially supported by the council – run in tandem with a private company – and with contracts set to expire in April, 2025.

These are routes 1, 3, 8 (Maidenhead), 9, 15, 16, 234, 235, 238, 239, 305, P1 and W1.

A report to cabinet on the changes said ‘like for like’ replacement services would not be possible because of budget constraints and inflation in costs for running buses.

RBWM is looking to put on 12 routes which are now being offered to bidders.

• Maidenhead town services: served by routes 3, 3A and 4
• Maidenhead to Henley and Twyford: served by routes 227, 227A and 228
• Slough to Eton Wick: served by route 15
• Windsor to Ascot, via Sunninghill: served by routes 1 and 1A
• Windsor to Maidenhead: served by route 16
• Windsor to Staines: served by routes 10 and 10A

The report said £1.28million is available for supported bus routes made from the council’s own money and a government grant.

Contracts for the new routes are set to be offered on 10-year leases, of an initial five years with further options for three and two years.

P1, operated by White Bus, which runs from Windsor to Datchet looks set to have its funding scrapped under the new plans.

Bus routes not financially supported by the council are unaffected: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 (Heathrow), 37, 53, 63, 68, 103, 127, 155, 500, 701, 702, 703, A60, Go to Gate, RA1 and X94.

Cabinet voted to note the report on the changes which permits the council to now begin offering contracts to bidders.