The people of Walsall talk about the plans for free bus travel on New Year's Day and the bus service in general.

Express & Star

Transcript

00:00Hello, I'm Joseph Mirovic and I'm here outside St Paul's bus station in Walsall.

00:04I'm here to talk to people today about the offer by the Mayor of the West Midlands to

00:08offer free bus services on New Year's Day. So I'm going to talk to people about what

00:12they think of it, do they think they should do it more often, and what do they think of

00:14bus fares in general. So let's go and have a chat.

00:17I think it's ideal, it encourages people to get to their families and to, you know,

00:25to get out.

00:27Do you think that the Mayor...

00:28It's good.

00:29Do you think they should do it more often around the service, because obviously they've

00:31done it especially for New Year's Day, but do you think they should do it more often?

00:35No, I think, you know, it's ideal for New Year's Day because people are off and they've

00:42got the time to get out and be busy.

00:44And what do you think of bus fares in general, do you think that they're a reasonable price

00:48or...

00:49Well, I'm a pensioner so I'm very lucky.

00:54You're okay at the moment, you're okay, but there's obviously people who are going to

00:57be paying maybe a pound more for their buses.

01:00Oh, well, it's a shame for those people who are, you know, restricted.

01:09But you know, it's one of those things.

01:10Yeah.

01:11Well, I suppose if it's for the needy, you know, I can say that, or...

01:18I mean the service has been opened up to everyone on New Year's Day.

01:22Well, I think maybe it's somewhat the Council are giving back.

01:28Do you think it's something that should be done more often, not just on special occasions,

01:32that if not free, but subsidised services?

01:34Well, at the end of the day, the bus service have got to make a profit, so they can pay

01:39the drivers, pay the inspectors, pay the cleaning staff who clean the buses.

01:47I mean, they've got to make a certain amount of money, but I suppose, you know, if it make

01:54it all free, the taxpayer will end up having to pay for it anyway.

02:01So you've heard that buses are going to be free on New Year's Day.

02:04You don't normally take the bus, but would you in this circumstance?

02:06I didn't actually know that there was going to be free on that day, so I say I don't catch

02:10buses, I walk everywhere.

02:12Is it something that would give you more of an incentive to take the bus on that day?

02:15No.

02:16Is there any sort of reason why you're just not a fan of taking the bus?

02:19No.

02:20It's quicker to walk.

02:21If they're not breaking down, they're never on time.

02:25Do you think that it's a good idea, in a way, because it might encourage more people to

02:29take the bus?

02:30For the elderly, yes.

02:32Younger people?

02:33No.

02:34Do you know, they're young, they can walk.

02:37That's a fair point.

02:38Do you know, bikes.

02:42In general, do you think that people might take the bus more often if, not free, but

02:47maybe subsidised travel?

02:48I think that they'll get a lot of people on it that day, because it's going to be free.

02:55Other than that, half of them that will catch it that day won't get it any other time, because

03:01they've got to pay.

03:02And would you say that one of the biggest problems is the fact that prices are going

03:05up?

03:06Yeah.

03:07Is that the sort of biggest thing that, so many factors that stops you from taking the

03:09bus?

03:10I suppose, what could be done to do that, apart from lowering the prices?

03:14That's the only thing that you can really do.

03:17Okay, well, we've spoken to a few people, we've asked them what they've thought.

03:21The general feeling is that the idea of free buses is a good one, it will benefit people

03:25who might not take the bus, or people who might be thinking of taking the bus.

03:30But there's also that thought of, yeah, could they do it more often, and could they reduce

03:33the prices of buses in general?

03:35That's the general view here in Walsall.

03:37If you are taking the bus on New Year's Day, then enjoy your day out.

03:40Yeah.

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