Buses are a big part of the solution to Eastbourne’s transport and environmental problems

From: Joel MitchellManaging DirectorStagecoach South East
Bus shelters in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-191209-102005008Bus shelters in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-191209-102005008
Bus shelters in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-191209-102005008

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about bus services in Eastbourne. I’ve read with interest the letters published in this column and I want to provide some answers to the issues raised and put the case for buses; to improve our environment, revitalise our town centre and combat one of the biggest drags on our local economy – unsustainable use of cars and worsening traffic congestion.

One of the things that struck me since becoming the MD at Stagecoach South East is the strength of feeling that people have for community buses. As well as concerns, there’s been some really positive suggestions and a great deal of support for bus services and our fantastic team of drivers and support staff who every day turn out to serve their community – often in the face of some really tough challenges.

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In the Eastbourne area we have a number of traffic pinch points such as at Polegate, Hampden Park, Seaside, King’s Drive and the town centre. Let’s be clear about the effects of traffic congestion: For every 100 minutes on the road 10 years ago, we now need an extra 20 minutes to cover the same distance. Take for example the 1/1A service; 10 years ago the timetable allowed one hour 40 minutes to complete the route – now we have to schedule two hours. That’s not just at peak times – it’s during the daytime. Peak-time journeys need even more time. The same applies to the Loop service which now has 90 minutes running time in the cycle compared to 75 minutes 10 years ago. Of course this means that the cost of operating buses has increased hugely, but leaving that aside, we would have to put more and more buses out on the road just to try to maintain the same level of service.

All this is a symptom of a much bigger problem – the relentless rise of traffic and the damage that’s doing to our air quality, wellbeing and local economy. The DfT has recently published figures that show that in the south east, Light Commercial Vehicle use has increased by more than 23 per cent since 2010, with overall traffic up nearly seven per cent in the same period. This coincides with a decline in High Street shopping as online sales push up the number of commercial vehicles on our streets.

So what can be done? I believe there are some real reasons to be optimistic about the future of bus use in Eastbourne and the consequent improvement to the local economy and environment that this will bring.

The first thing to recognise is that buses are a big part of the solution. A double deck bus can seat up to 80 passengers which means it can potentially relieve the roads of up to 53 cars (assuming an average of 1.5 occupants per car) - reducing overall emission levels and helping to improve air quality. But the benefit of buses goes even further. Buses are central to the health of our high streets which data continues to show are in decline. On average bus passengers spend more money per head in our high streets than those who arrive by car.

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But bus operators can’t do this alone. It’s time for tough decisions, including from politicians who are the custodians of policies which affect our future. In 2018, new bus priority measures were introduced between Hastings and Bexhill, freeing up space for buses to flow past traffic. As a result we were able to invest £2.5m in 12 brand new ultra low emission buses running on the high frequency route 99 linking Eastbourne with Hastings.

Partnership working like this has to be the answer and we’re already working with Eastbourne Borough Council and other community groups to set up a ‘Quality Bus Partnership’ – a forum that meets regularly to discuss improvements to bus services in the area. As a company we put people at the heart of everything we do and I’m excited that so many of you agree that buses are a really important part of building a local transport system that serves and revitalises our communities and town centres.