Swindon bus passengers face drastic changes in service

Bus passengers in Swindon are facing major changes this weekend, with some services being cut and others altered.

Thamesdown Transport said it followed withdrawal of council funding for a number of town and rural routes.

The company's managing director Paul Jenkins said some services were so under-used, they could not be run without financial support.

Swindon Borough Council said transport grants were one of the first to go due to government public spending cuts.

Significant cuts

Councillor Peter Greenhalgh said: "It's quite obvious to most people in the country that there is no money.

"Councils are having to make significant cuts and this is the first stage of cuts that we're seeing in public transport, but we're going to see cuts across the whole council."

Thamesdown Transport said some services were so under-used, the costs of running them could not be met.

Managing director Peter Jenkins said: "The number of people who travel on [the 23 service] amounted to about seven people per journey," he said.

"I'm afraid if there's no financial support available to underpin that, there simply isn't enough money to pay for a half-hourly bus service."