Mrs Rose is quite right, all of those locations have lost a bus service, but the answer is not to reduce journeys to the places where the services are successful without any additional funding you will be left with nothing. The key is as Mrs Rose suggested is social inclusion. The 1986 Transport Act says that areas where commercial operators cannot make a service pay it should be funded by the local authority, but this is not legally binding and therefore not adhered to.

The main thing that has changed which has contributed to the withdrawal of these routes has been the concessionary fare scheme. When these routes operated the bus operator received half fare. So although it was not everything they had some cash to keep going before getting a further payment from the council. Now it all comes from the council but it is a fraction of what the revenue was before. Most operators get around 70p per concession per journey when what they really need is £1.50.

If operators received £1.50 per concession per journey you would find that more services would run in between schools at least 0930 til 1430 Monday to Friday and that would be something.

Your local councillor can make this happen. All that they need to do is divert more funding to concessions and increase the reimbursement factor from 30% to 60%. It will cost the council more money but the bus services that were previously cut would still be able to operate.

So when the candidates visit you for their support in the May local election ask them if they are prepared to put more money into concessions to improve the bus service. It is in your own hands to make a difference by voting for the person that gives you the right answer!

Mark Newgrove, address supplied