Changes to Blackpool concessionary arrangements confirmed
As predicted, Blackpool Council are to withdraw the provision
of free tram travel in Blackpool for non-Blackpool residents eligible
for the English National Travel Concession Scheme, with effect from 1st
April. Despite hopes that Lancashire County Council would step in to
fund this provision, a decision has now been taken that this will not go
ahead, so within a few short weeks only people who live in Blackpool
will be able to use their concessionary travel passes on the tramway.
Lancashire County Council do operate a
mandatory scheme enabling local residents free tram travel, except for
some restrictions on early mornings and during the illuminations, but
this does not extend beyond the boundaries of Blackpool itself.
Previously Blackpool Council had funded such travel for residents of
Fleetwood etc. as well as tourists from elsewhere in England, but this
will end shortly due to severe cutbacks. As the national scheme does not
apply to trams and light rail, neither Blackpool Council or Lancashire
County Council are obliged to finance this and the potential number of
senior citizens who have not surprisingly taken advantage of the offer
in the last couple of years has proved to be a financial burden. With
Blackpool Transport already under immense pressure to turn a profit,
offering free travel on the trams without at least part of the usual
fare being supplied by a local authority is clearly not an option.
The fear is now that many of the people who had been convinced to use
the tramway as their first choice means of transport may now switch to
the rival promenade bus service, just as has happened before in the dark
days of the pre-upgraded tramway.
Although fares from BTS bus
services will still end up in BTS coffers, this makes justifying service
improvements and extension of the existing tramway even more difficult
to justify in these tough times. The already insecure future of the nine
modified ‘B Fleet’ Balloon cars must also be put even more in doubt, as
any reduction in passenger numbers will kill off any chance of these
trams being used for their intended role as supplements to the Flexity2
fleet on the core service.
Hopefully 2014 will see the Blackpool tramway continue to prosper,
but decisions such as this are likely to make the year ahead a
challenging one for the system.
SEE ALSO THE LATEST ON THE FOCUS FEATURES SITE
A postscript to the London 'Classic Bus' event, held over two days back in early February, can now be viewed here
SEE ALSO THE LATEST ON THE FOCUS FEATURES SITE
A postscript to the London 'Classic Bus' event, held over two days back in early February, can now be viewed here
