Could charging help save free Leeds city bus from cuts?

People may face paying a small charge to use the free Leeds city centre bus if Metro has its funding slashed. That was one of the possibilities mooted by Metro chief Chris Greaves at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority in Leeds which discussed the impact potential cuts could have on the region's transport network. As reported last Thursday , Metro, West Yorkshire's passenger transport authority, fears its budget could be cut by 40% and has since met to discuss the potential impact. The meeting also heard of possible cuts to the funding of the concessionary fares to children. Some councillors said they were 'horrified' by many of the proposed budget savings. Buses facing possible axe or major reductions in services include: * Free City and Town Buses in Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Dewsbury (£1.1m) * Sunday services which currently cost £1.6 million * Early morning services (£1.75m) * Late evening services (£1.6m) * AccessBus (£2.2m) * Review of the provision of MyBus and Metrolocal services Greaves told the meeting: "We are efficient and economical as an organisation in terms of staffing and running costs, so if there are cuts, they're going to have a significant impact on lifeline services. "I find all of this horrible and unacceptable. We're being forced to look at which area is less essential - the problem is, there's no such thing as less essential. We are going to see existing servces close, there's little doubt. The question is - what gets cut? "We perhaps need to look at things like charging for the free bus, or other revenue streams such as advertising." Councillors from different councils in West Yorkshire were told that to maintain services at their current level, the authority would require a two and a half to three per cent increase in budget, not a reducation. Leeds councillor Mick Lyons said that he felt as far as funding from local authorities went, transport would be at the back of the queue. "I'm hugely concerned about the concessionary fares for children - in Leeds we have got kids catching two buses just to get to school in the morning. How can they? afford to do that if there are no concessions? It'll crrate a lot of heatache." Bradford councillor Anne Hawksworth added: "It's like looking into a crystal ball at the moment. We don't know what to expect. We have to look as holding our own at the moment rather than looking to improve." And Leeds councillor Ryk Downes added: "People are often happy to say that they'll pay for their bus services, they just don't want them axing. Perhaps that's an option with the free bus." The ITA report explains that although Metro receives funding through a number of specific grants from the Government, the most significant part of its income comes through a transport levy from the five West Yorkshire district councils. It also reminds ITA members that around 50% of Metro's spending is in mandatory areas over which it has no control, such as concessions for people aged over-60, which mean that in real terms, cuts in areas of discretionary spending have an even greater impact. What do you think? Have your say in the comments section below.