Scrapping of surgery bus disappointing, says GP

A GP surgery has said it is disappointed a council is scrapping a bus service introduced less than a year ago to help get patients to appointments.

Cumberland Council announced it would no longer fund the DR1 service from Carlisle city centre to Carlisle Healthcare's South surgery on Locke Road.

The bus was introduced in January using part of a £3.5m government pot following a petition, but the Labour-led authority decided its last service would be on 31 December due to low passenger numbers.

GP partner at Carlisle Healthcare Dr Robert Westgate said the surgery had hoped the bus would become "an increasingly useful option for patients".

"We are very disappointed that the bus service will be coming to an end," he said.

The provider operates three surgeries in Carlisle, serving more than 40,000 patients across its sites, according to NHS data.

According to figures from Cumberland Council, the DR1 carried an average of 312 people a month, which the authority said made the service unsustainable, costing more than £20 per passenger.

A petition for the service was signed by more than 1,000 residents last year.

It was set up by Cumberland councillor Robert Betton, who represents Botcherby as an independent.

"I'm absolutely appalled, the people have been let down and they deserve better," he said.

Betton said he had made the case for the service to run through Botcherby and Harraby but Cumberland Council said this would not be possible as it would compete with existing services run by Stagecoach.

"Unfortunately, I believe this service was set up to fail," Betton said.

He said he wanted to see a "genuine partnership" between agencies to deliver a route to support elderly and disabled residents and those without a car to access health services.

"The lesson from this is not that Carlisle doesn't need better public transport links to healthcare.

"The lesson is that you cannot ignore local knowledge, disregard the communities you're meant to serve and then act surprised when a service struggles."

Cumberland Council said the DR1 had been set up "to complement" the commercial bus network and confirmed public funding "cannot be used to subsidise services that directly compete with commercial routes".

A spokesperson at the Labour-led council said: "This limits the routing options available through areas including Botcherby and Harraby.

"Unfortunately, despite the additional link provided by the DR1, passenger numbers have remained very low."

The council's assistant director of highways and transport Karl Melville said the decision to cut the DR1 had been made "with a very heavy heart" and the importance of getting patients to appointments had been taken into account.

"Bearing in mind that right now £3 is the maximum charge on any bus journey, soon to become £2 next year, the council can't sustain funding of well in excess of £20 a ticket."

Melville said there were two other services running nearby, which left a short walk for patients from the bus stop to the surgery.

Westgate said he recognised the amount of time and effort that had gone into establishing the DR1 service.

The service is one of six no longer receiving council support in the new year, however Cumberland Council has confirmed ongoing funding worth £2.9m for 13 services it either introduced or enhanced in the last 12 months.

They include the 600 service from the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle to the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, the C123 Cockermouth town service and 7 Barrow to Millom bus.

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