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Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Members: Cabinet Member for Transport – 23 November 2006

Statement of Decision

Review of Subsidised Bus Services Lewknor Taxibus (Oxford Tube Connection)

Present:

Also in attendance:

Documentation considered:

A copy is attached to the signed copy of this decision.

Summary of representations in person

Supporting the recommendations Councillor Wilmshurst considered it essential that the service was retained and hoped that if the current proposal for a short term extension to the contract proved successful then something permanent could be introduced. Emphasising the local importance of the taxibus service he considered that any decision regarding its future should not be taken solely on commercial grounds and enquired whether the Oxford Tube operators had been approached to make a contribution towards the service.

Councillor Belson endorsed the comments made by Councillor Wilmshurst and referred to the importance of the service to the local community and to the opportunity which now presented itself to improve patronage and secure its long term future.

Mr Timberlake reported a further 7 representations received in support of the proposal. In response to Councillor Wilmshurst and Councillor Belson he advised that poor patronage had been a contributory factor in Buckinghamshire County Council’s decision to withdraw funding and that a recent fare reduction experiment, initiated by the operator, had even failed to secure any improvement. He considered that despite the proposal to extend the service to include Chinnor he was not optimistic that this would achieve any improvement in patronage. He confirmed that the Oxford Bus Company had contributed to the production of a leaflet featuring this service but had been opposed to making any direct financial contribution to its operation.

Cabinet Member’s Comments

Councillor Robertson asked officers to respond to those individuals who had made representations.

Decision

Having regard to the arguments and options set out in the documentation before me, the representations made to me and the further considerations set out above, I confirm my decisions on this matter as follows:

1. to agree an extension of the contract for the Oxford Tube Connection (Lewknor Taxibus) service, on the basis of a peak-hours Monday-to-Friday timetable linking Watlington – Lewknor Interchange – Aston Rowant – Kingston Blount – Chinnor, for the period Monday 29 January 2007 to Friday 1 June 2007 inclusive, to enable future strategic decisions regarding any public transport links to the Lewknor Interchange to be made in the wider context of the scheduled Area Review of supported bus services and on the basis of the price set out in Exempt Annex 2 to the report CMDT5E;
2. to thank Buckinghamshire County Council for its support for the experimental Stokenchurch extension of the Taxibus service from 30 January 2006 until 26 January 2007 but to agree with them that this part of the service should cease after the latter date;
3. to advise Watlington, Chinnor and Aston Rowant Parish Councils that the County Council saw little prospect of the Taxibus Service continuing beyond the June 2007 Review and therefore strongly recommended that the Parish Councils and local communities should employ every effort into establishing a Community Transport-based long-term solution to the provision of public transport links between their communities and the Oxford Tube coach interchange at Lewknor.

Signed

Cabinet Member for Transport

Date ………………………2006

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