Brigg Blog suggests that all its followers who use public transport should take part in North Lincolnshire Council's current Bus Service Improvement Plan consultation, ahead of the deadline on September 30 (a week from today).
This survey applies not only to bus users but also those who are well aware that Brigg only has a very limited passenger train service at present. The online consultation's remit includes local buses connecting with trains.
Other survey questions relate to the JustGo dial-a-ride service for North Lincolnshire - a fairly recent addition to the scene - and also whether local folk want to be able to travel beyond local government boundaries to other destinations.
The Government's "vision for future improvements across England" strategy "places a requirement on the council, and the bus companies in our area, to work together to create a Bus Service Improvement Plan," our local authority explains.
It says: "This will involve developing bold plans for improving local bus services."
The Government has pledged £3 billion in funding across the country to help deliver these plans, and the council says it is aiming to secure what it calls "a fair share of that funding."
Click here for the link you need to complete the survey...
Brigg Blog has posted many comments about local public transport over the years.
The current Monday-Saturday bus service linking Brigg with Scunthorpe is very good, but getting to and from some rural villages or even other towns in our district can prove difficult.
Sundays see more sparse provision - even to and from Scunthorpe.
We gave a recent example of being unable to travel from Brigg to Cleethorpes (and back again) on a Sunday to watch a Lincolnshire county cricket match played between 11am and 7pm. These are two important towns not much more than 20 miles apart.
A central issue is integrated public transport. Brigg railway station only receives passenger trains on Saturdays. So, on other days, buses really need to connect with trains calling at Barnetby - our local rail hub offering services to/from Scunthorpe, Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester, Lincoln, Newark, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
JustGo currently operates 7am to 7pm (Monday to Friday) and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays.
JustGo currently informs its passengers: "You will be able to pay securely by debit or credit card within the JustGo North Lincs app or when booking by telephone. Payment cannot be made on the bus or with cash."
Could thought be given to altering this so people can pay on the day? It might well increase use of the dial-a-ride service.
Hopefully the findings of what we see as a very worthwhile survey will be revealed in due course by the council, together with details of government cash allocated for "future improvements" in North Lincolnshire.
PICTURED: A Hornsbys service dropping of passengers in Brigg, a JustGo dial-a-ride bus on Cary Lane, and passengers boarding a connecting train at Barnetby railway station.
