Free bus travel scheme withdrawn

Some councils say the scheme has been too popular

A Devon council is to withdraw from the county's concessionary bus fares scheme for pensioners.

Torbay Mayor Nick Bye said he was worried it would cost the local authority too much money.

Pensioners get free off-peak bus travel under the scheme but many councils say government funding is not sufficient because it has been so popular.

The council will start its own scheme from 1 April restricted to Torbay and the A380 corridor to Newton Abbot.

Budgeted costs

Mid Devon District Council says it is considering pulling out of the scheme too. East Devon and the Plymouth unitary authority were never a part of the scheme.

Torbay's senior public transport officer Geoff Coleman said the changes were being made because it was a benefit which was costing too much.

He said: "It is mainly to protect our council tax from large rises in part of their council tax due to the increasing costs of the scheme.

"The government tells us they have funded this fully, but they have not. Every council, certainly in Devon, has had this problem.

"The large amount of patronage means we have had to dip into other then our budgeted costs for this year."