VITAL SERVICE

The shuttle bus which runs round some of the main housing estates in Brigg on Thursdays and Saturdays, taking people to and from the town centre to do their shopping, is a lifeline for some of our pensioners. Without it they would really struggle - or have to impose on the good nature of friends and neighbours, when they'd much rather preserve their independence.
Having seen the little bus this morning, on Burgess Road, with many empty seats I just hope some 'jobs-worth' does not sit down one day in the future and decide the service should 'be reviewed'.
North Lincolnshire Council is to be commended for supporting this, and other bus services. Long may it continue!
But why should councils have to subsidise local bus services like this? Surely the Government should foot the bill. That's if it really believes public transport is the answer to getting more cars off our roads and reducing the carbon footprint, or whatever the current buzzwords are.
Consider the crazy situation with the Wolds Villager and the Isle Villager services. Government funded these buses for three years, then left it to North Lincolnshire Council, which cannot afford to keep things going at the same level.
So there will have to be cutbacks, which means less journeys on offer to the public, which will result in fewer people using the service. And so the downward spiral continues, with the next 'review' being even more negative.