Community bus to health centre given the axe
9:08am Tuesday 10th August 2010 in Your Town
A COMMUNITY transport service which gives people cheap access to a Bolton health centre is to be axed because it is not “commercially viable”, health bosses say.
NHS Bolton, the borough’s Primary Care Trust, says it will not fund the North Bolton Local Link service because it does not make enough money, even though 2,500 people use it.
As reported in The Bolton News, the service, which provides a direct taxi to Crompton Health Centre at bus fare prices, was given a stay of execution last week when transport bosses agreed to fund the service for a further three months while they negotiate with NHS Bolton.
An NHS Bolton spokesman said: “We funded the local link service for an interim period to help it get off the ground.
“This was to make it become commercially viable, and we did extend this funding in a bid to give it an extra chance.
“The scheme has not shown itself to be commercially viable, which is why we are not extending the funding further.”
The local link service was jointly funded by NHS Bolton and the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority.
GMITA is now temporarily funding the service in its entirety after NHS Bolton cut its half of the cash.
GMITA chairman Cllr Ian Macdonald said: “We are disappointed to learn that NHS Bolton intends to withdraw funding, particularly given the level of usage and in light of the hardship this will create for passengers who use the service to access Crompton Way Health Centre.
“We recognise it would not be appropriate to see the service withdrawn at the end of October as a result of this funding withdrawal, so we have agreed to fund the service for a further three months, until January.
“In the interim, we hope to have a more constructive dialogue with the PCT regarding this issue.”
The North Bolton Local Link service started in April last year and runs from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for people who live in Bromley Cross, Astley Bridge, Eagley, Sharples and Bradshaw.
It costs £1.50 single and £2.50 return for adults, 80p single and £1.40 return for children and 60p single and £1.10 return with concessions.
The fate of the service will be discussed at the next meeting of the GMITA bus network committee, which is at Manchester Town Hall on October 8.
