Castle Vale's bus 696 service under threat

The 696 bus service runs around Castle Vale, literally, it is a circular route! It is a well liked service. However it has always made losses and the grants that it has always received are reducing, to the point where it is becoming uneconomic for its operator, Merlin Venture Ltd.

Their 2007 Annual Report stated :-

We have continued to provide the much needed Community Bus (route 696) for the residents of Castle Vale, and passenger journeys remain around 1,400 per week, showing how important the service remains to this day. However the subsidy we have been receiving, first from Castle Vale Housing Action Trust and latterly from Castle Vale Endowment Trust Fund, has been reducing, leading to an increasing funding deficit. In order to minimise this deficit, we have had to cut costs by reducing the operational hours and increasing fares, but there are limits to how far this can be done without damaging the service.

The 696 is a very popular service, with the elderly members of the community relying on it to get around Castle Vale. Whilst a combination of increasing fares and reduced operational times has led to a slight falling away of fare paying passengers, the use made by elderly passengers has been remarkably constant, a function of their free travel and their willingness to modify travel times in line with the timetable.

The route is never likely to be self sufficient, and there is little room for manoeuvre in generating additional income. Furthermore as the service is not generating any funds for investment in the business, there is no possibility of upgrading or replacing the vehicles, so they get older and, obviously, more expensive to maintain. This increases costs, so while economies are made wherever possible the underlying cost pressure is driving the deficit upwards. The long term future of this service therefore remains in doubt, as it will cost more and more to keep the ageing buses on the road, and yet the level of available subsidy is reducing.

The service now operates from Monday to Friday from 08.20 to 16.40 (with an hour's break between 12.20 and 13.20). Regular passenger surveys have shown how much the service is valued by its users. For example, when funding was reduced by the endowment trust fund last year we decided that the only way we could retain the service during the week was to eliminate the Saturday service. When passengers were informed of this they were horrified, and in less than three days a petition circulated on the bus itself attracted over 240 signatures in favour of keeping the Saturday service. Sadly our application for additional funding was subsequently turned down.

We therefore feel that it is a major achievement to be continuing to provide the service, retaining the majority of our passengers, and keeping their goodwill. We have also retained our drivers, a committed team of highly skilled and experienced people who love their job and the community they have served for many years now. We are also pleased with the success of the free service we operated for Castle Vale residents for three late night shopping visits to the Fort Shopping Park last Christmas.

Source : http://www.merlinventure.co.uk/Merlin%20Newsletters/Annual%20Report%20Final%20for%20Web.pdf

Details of the route can be seen here :-

http://www.merlinventure.co.uk/valley/routes.htm

On 22 June 2009, Gemma Donnelly of Merlin Ventures Ltd posted :-