Bus services criticised ahead of mayoral takeover

Passengers have criticised rural bus services in an area where an elected mayor is about to take over responsibility for running them.

The new Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, being elected on 1 May, will oversee decisions on transport, including bus services which are currently the responibility of Lincolnshire County Council.

On a packed bus travelling between Louth and Lincoln, passengers called for improvements with one describing services as "very hit and miss".

The six mayoral candidates have been telling the BBC how they would run the bus network.

"I think they're very hit and miss," said Sarah Knowles, 43, from Wragby.

"It's absolutely terrible in some places."

Ann Taylor, 74, from Sutton on Sea sighed when asked what buses are like in Lincolnshire.

"They're so-so," she said. "They're not great, but we manage."

"They could be better on timings," college student Lydia Robinson, 17, said.

She said there was "quite a long gap" between buses, meaning she faced long waits after her classes finished before she could catch one home.

However, Paul Archer, 54, said: "When I have used them they've been ok."

University Student Nathan Bird was sceptical of the potential improvements a mayor could offer.

"It would be better if services were improved, but I'm not holding out hope," he said.

Stephen Bryce, managing director of PC Coaches, which operates some services in the county, was also sceptical.

"The mayor taking control would be at siginificant cost to the taxpayer," he said.

"Other services are struggling. We need significant investment in our police force so transport isn't really a priority I don't think".

Sally Horscroft, Green Party candidate for Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, said it was "a mistake to think of buses as a business isolated from what it brings to the rest of the economy".

Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the Reform candidate, said "we need to think outside the box" when it comes to buses and transport.

She proposed creating a body similar to Transport for London which oversees the whole of Greater Lincolnshire's transport, adding that "a bus should be a lifeline not a last resort".

Marianne Overton, from the Lincolnshire Independents, defended current supplementary services like the Call Connect Bus which provides a bookable, door-to-door service .

"Those are very effective," she said. "Nethertheless, it's a very large county and it would take a lot of money to give everyone the half-hour bus service they deserve."

Labour candidate Jason Stockwood said he would look at franchising the county's bus service "as a priority".

He said the mayor would have a "limited budget" so private investment would help the service.

Rob Waltham, standing for the Conservatives, said he would support bus passes for pensioners and young people but there had to be "more providers in the market to improve competitiveness".

Liberal Democrat candidate Trevor Young criticised the current provision as "anything but a service."

"We need to see it not from a profit point of view but from a service point of view," he said.

The candidates to be Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire are featured in a debate on Sunday Politics on BBC1 at 10:00 BST on Sunday 6 April. It will be also be available on BBC Iplayer here.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.