(30 Jan 2019, 10:34 pm)James101 wrote "It's nearly impossible for councils to keep subsidising free travel".
Well here we have the same old problem - ENCTS. Councils are forced to pay for the bus travel of all pensioners, regardless of if they can afford it or not. The only result can be marginal services are cut for the entire population.
Not wanting to repeat a previous conversation; but is Manchester not slightly different in that there's been a modal shift to Metrolink? I maintain I'd rather be a bus user in a PTE area than a non-PTE area. When changes occur TFGM produce a 91 page document to asses the impact and any necessary action to be taken [ https://www.gmcameetings.co.uk/meetings/...-committee ]. Conversely, Stoke-on-Trent city council respond with 'Not our problem, guv'.
Metrolink is a complicated one as yes, it does skew the figures a bit, but the decline in GM has been more constant than just coinciding with Metrolink extensions/abstractions. Of course, the irony is that only a tiny minority of people can readily access the system.
TBH, the TFGM document is overkill in that the vast majority of commercial changes are minor (odd journeys withdrawn or retimed earlier) or outside their remit anyway (10 minute service reduced to 12, but first and last buses roughly the same times), so rather than repeating "No further Action at this stage" for dozens and dozens of services, they should just list minor commercial changes
ENCTS is another example of conditions varying drastically between areas. In purely financial terms it is much less of a problem in GM because the gap between Retirement Age and Life Expectency is closing rapidly. And that's before you get into "Active Life" Expectancy. Also, arguably its not that much of a perk; On weekdays, Concessionary holders can't really travel very far with off-peak running speeds often in single figures (mph) and wanting to get home before the schools finish at c.1415-1430.