Labour and campaigners angry at transport secretary’s suggestion bus services could be demand-led after funding falls by 33%Local buses could be replaced by “Uber-style” rides, the transport secretary has said, sparking a backlash from Labour, trade unions and campaigners. Chris Grayling told local government leaders that the future of local buses was a more bespoke service, suggesting on-demand models similar to the ride-hailing app could be used more widely to bridge funding gaps. Asked how to address the funding gap, Grayling “suggested that the nature of bus provision is likely to change over the coming years, with more Uber-style, demand-led services replacing traditional services”. Nobody wants to see Uber replacing local bus services except Chris Grayling.”The Unite trade union also expressed concern. Mr Grayling is right to say that technology can transform bus services in the future, but he needs to focus on and tackle the decline happening now in local transport services of all kinds, in part due to funding cuts.

Source: The Guardian December 15, 2017 19:35 UTC