Cumbria County Council joins fight for fairer fares (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Cumbria County Council joins fight for fairer fares

11:40am Saturday 3rd December 2011 in Allerdale news By Scott Kirk, Reporter

CUMBRIA County Council has joined a campaign to provide more equal funding for concessionary bus fares.

CCC has joined its counterparts in Norfolk, Devon, Buckinghamshire, North Yorkshire and other rural councils left out of pocket due to budget cuts.

A petition on the issue - known as the Fair Fares campaign - has seen a rise of 4,000 signatures in just three weeks, and more than 16,000 people have signed the document overall.

Leader of the Council Eddie Martin has also written to the Secretary of State highlighting concerns of the shortfall in Government funding for councils to reimburse bus operators when they accept over-60 and disabled passengers, which entitles them to free off-peak travel on scheduled bus services.

“We need to continue to encourage people to contribute to the petition as it will be everyday residents who will suffer as a result of this shortfall,” said Coun Martin.

“The free bus pass scheme is a vital resource for many Cumbrians, who are often vulnerable and elderly, and I can’t stress enough how we need the support at a local level to fight for fairer funding.”

To sign the petition go to the Cumbria County Council website or sign it directly at the website below.