We’ve had years, if not decades of cuts on Surrey’s bus network, forcing many into cars, and others without them into taxis. Some will decide to stay home in isolation.
In the last couple of years however we’ve seen a new innovation on our roads, Surrey Connect, or Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT).
Subsidised by Surrey County Council, these are minibuses that users can summon from an app as and when they need them.
After an initial trial in Mole Valley, they are now available in Tandridge, Cranleigh, West Guildford, Farnham and Longcross. User’s pay a fee based on the distance they need to travel and prices are comparable to public bus services.
The Surrey County Council budget for 2024/25 includes a significant increase in funding for buses of around £11 million, primarily funded by an additional grant from central government.
Additional money for buses is very welcome. However, given the funding is only for a single year, and the likelihood that whichever party wins the forthcoming general election, discretionary one time payments like these are likely to be discontinued, how would Surrey County Council be able to meet the costs of continuing the increased service without cuts elsewhere?
At the budget meeting of the County Council, held on 6th February 2024 Councillor Jonathan Essex said
“Over three quarters of the new bus funding, £8 million, is to roll out digital on demand transport to rural areas across Surrey. This is mainly funded by a grant from government to be spent next year, and then creates an £11.6 million shortfall in the budget the year after. So our digital demand responsive transport, DDRT plans don’t seem to be long-term”
Additionally we have concerns that there doesn’t appear to be any holistic view of bus and other public transport services across Surrey. They are fragmented, run by different operators and if they do actually link up, this is by chance rather than design.
Cllr Essex continues, “We are concerned that we are pushing an open-all-hours DDRT in just parts of the county that seems to compete rather than fully interface with existing bus travel, without through ticketing, without coordination with existing community transport run by districts and boroughs. For example, in Tandridge there are still Buses-For-You and dial-a-ride while in Reigate and Banstead there is no community transport at all, and no DDRT – unless parts of the new Surrey Connect East service in Tandridge will cross the border, which still isn’t clear. “
The DDRT or Surrey Connect services are aimed at connecting more rural areas that do not have alternative public transport options. However, they cannot ever be a replacement for a scheduled, regular and reliable public bus service for which Surrey has too few.
If this is to be a part of Surrey’s sustainable transport strategy going forward then we need to know the costs and if the service represents a net reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the existing options.
Although at least some of the Surrey Connect fleet is electric, it would be very useful for the council to release figures regarding the cost per passenger mile of running these services and how that compares to scheduled bus services, the total number of passenger miles served and the total CO2 emissions, or in the case of the electric fleet, KW consumed.
If I was more cynical, I may consider the timing of a large contribution to bus services from central government. I may also consider the temporary nature of this funding. It may also dawn on me that there is a general election due within the next 12 months.
We hope these services represent a clear step forward for connecting Surrey’s more isolated residents in a sustainable way and not just a piece of political short-termism to tempt a disaffected, but traditionally supportive tranche of Conservative voters to turnout on election day.
