Easington MP Grahame Morris has hit out at the latest round of cuts to County Durham bus services. The Northern Echo recently reported that Arriva is proposing changes to 25 routes, with a significant impact on evening, weekend, and Sunday services.

Expressing his dismay over the proposed cuts, Grahame Morris MP said “Arriva’s sole objective is to maximise shareholder profits. These latest cuts make it abundantly clear that they have no interest in sustaining routes essential to the community, economic and social fabric of our country.”

A reliable bus service is essential in serving our communities and driving economic growth, particularly in rural areas like ours. Buses connect people to employment opportunities, facilitate customer-business interactions, and enable friends and families to meet.

“The importance of public transport cannot be overstated, and we must not entrust it to a profit-oriented private entity that prioritises its shareholders over passengers. Our bus services should be publicly owned and operated, with the primary focus on fulfilling the needs of the community, society, and the economy

We must end the absurd situation where bus companies monopolise profitable routes, while local authorities are left with the rest. I firmly believe that the Local Authority should be allowed to take charge of all routes and utilise profits to subsidise unprofitable but equally important community services.”

“We urgently need to transform our approach to public transport with a shift towards public ownership which meets the needs of the community, society, and the economy over corporate profits.

Northern Echo article