“One of many services we need to keep society functioning in many ways, a worthwhile use of public money in my opinion.”

“Thank you CF for your reply. The council didn't have much choice other than to subsidise the buses, with shops in towns already struggling, without public transport this would have well and truly seen them off, unless the council are silly enough to put up the business rates now to compensate for this increase things should be OK for the shopkeepers for a while, for how long we will have to wait and see with small shops becoming a dying breed, Labour gave them a reprieve by bringing in the free bus passes, without them small town shops would have long gone.”

“But many of these buses are void of passengers, this is a real problem. What can we do for the few who need these buses? Should they be allow to travel day after day if they only have five or six passengers using them at most?”

“@Tstrunk

If not enough passengers are using the buses on some routes and it is uneconomical to run them they should be stopped, those who live in out of the way rural areas should have thought about such things long ago I would have thought.”

“Many old people can afford to pay full fares as with many others, I don't know why we should subsidising buses as much as we do, why can't the people pay full fare? I run a car should I ask cheaper petrol or a discount on my mot?

But youngcornwall some old people have no way of traveling, how do we balance what is needed against what is just too costly? This is a big question that would on the surface seem irrelevant.”

“Is the way ahead?

http://tinyurl.com/crlkfr3”

“Public transport is a conundrum that is not easily solved; indeed there may not be a total solution.
Community transport schemes can work very well but because of the voluntary nature of their set-up can also be very hard to keep going or are not able to cater to all who truly need it.
How do we get those who do not drive, for a number of reasons, to work, to school, to college, to the doctors, etc, etc? I think targeted transport schemes could be a way forward but who would run them? Right now subsidising bus services is an immediate at least partial solution.
Society relies on subsidy to keep it going, take that away and try to rely on everyone paying or on volunteers working and providing for free you will soon have a total collapse.”

“I agree, farmers have had their fair share of subsidies over the years so why not the elderly regarding public transport, with every encouragement to move closer to civilisation leaving properties in outlying areas for holiday lets and those who have their own transport.”