East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is urgently seeking public opinions on the future of local bus services.
Residents, businesses, and community organisations are being encouraged to have their say ahead of the development of a new bus service improvement plan, by completing an online survey launched by ESCC this week, but there is just a four-week window in which to do so.
In March 2021, the government published a new national bus strategy, “Bus Back Better”, which sets out a vision for future improvements to bus services across the country.
The strategy requires all English local transport authorities to work with operators to develop achievable plans for improving local services and encouraging more people to use them.
The survey hopes to identify what is most important to residents when considering local bus services, and what they most want to see improved. Issues are sure to include fare prices, bus passes, bus routes, and the frequency of services.
Councillor Claire Dowling, lead member for transport and environment at East Sussex County Council, said: “The national bus strategy and the development of our bus service improvement plan offers a great opportunity to implement significant changes to bus services in East Sussex.
“Central government has pledged £3 billion in funding across the country to help deliver these plans. We would like to secure a fair share of this funding to improve bus travel across East Sussex.
“We are keen to hear from residents so we can ensure our future vision reflects their views on what they want and need from their bus services.”
The strategy requires the council to publish its bus service improvement plan by the end of October.
Councillor Dowling added: “Our bus service improvement plan will set out our plans to deliver Sussex-wide improvements to bus services over the next few years.
“We are working to a tight timescale, however, and I would encourage people to ensure they have their say by completing the survey as soon as possible.”
The survey, running for just four weeks, is open until Tuesday, September 14, and can be completed at https://consultation.eastsussex.gov.uk/economy-transport-environment/bsip
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Have answered the survey – disappointed to have as many questions related to my identity as concerning the buses – which had nothing to do with going on the bus. Whilst age and whether I considered myself disabled could be useful for getting on the bus these are not relevant ( eg trans or not / sexual preference/ religion / ethnicity / married or not)
I fully agree. It’s was an invasion of privacy survey. I’m not trans, religious or ethnic, but what on earth does any of that have to do with a bus timetable ? It felt more like data collecting. Perhaps better to tell the truth regards your needs, and make the rest up.
A Rye Harbour resident for whom our dear bus service is a MUST although I wish the cakes etc given in gratitude to our drivers could be replaced with fruit!?
A difficulty with bus time table is that it doesn’t fit into the train times! One driver delays his start for Tenterden by 5 minutes to allow regular London passengers to catch the bus! And then speeds up.
It would be good to have a Sunday and evening service to ennable seeing a film at Kino etc.
It would be good also to have electric buses…Rye Harbour buses will need replacing quite often as we rattle greatly down the Rye Harbour track over and through the poholes!