Community transport isn't just about going green

Whilst parliament discusses the impact of spending cuts on rural bus services, in today's energy saving conscious world, it's easy to view the argument from the 'green' angle. No-one denies that making more use of public transport and using our cars less is good for the environment, but there are bigger issues at stake here. For many rural communities, a lot of residents who rely on buses as their only means of transport, will feel increasingly isolated if they can't travel to local towns - for shopping or leisure, visiting families, friends or clubs or as hubs to travel onwards. I grew up in a small Cambridgeshire village which saw one bus a day - 7.30am and returning around 6.30 in the evening from Cambridge itself. Market days (Wednesdays and Saturdays) saw an additional bus at around 9am returning around 2pm from the other nearby town. Growing up, aspiring to owning a car wasn't a luxury, it was a necessity if you were to venture beyond the confines of the village itself. At least then we had a Post Office. So when you hear of bus services being cut further, spare more than just a green thought. photo credit: tim green