Jobs rely on the 144 to Birmingham being retained
MY NAME is Gary, and I am a commuter on the 144.
I used to travel from Rubery to Worcester on a Monday and did that for ten years to work at Worcester Snoezelen.
This company provides services to the vulnerable and disabled.
I used to work as a volunteer in the music section, providing therapeutic Rockschool Workshops and also doing outreach work there.
Last year, the 20.20 return 144 to Birmingham was cut to only going as far as Bromsgrove.
The bus took about an hour to get back to Rubery normally, which was ideal for me and I’d been doing that for ten years.
From September 2021 to January 2022 I tried getting the train instead when the bus was cut, but that took an hour or so to get to New Street Grand Central, then I had to go back on myself and get the 63 back home to Frankley which took another hour doubling the time.
I thought about getting a taxi from Bromsgrove to home but that would have been £13-a-time.
Since January I’ve not been back, but was hoping that the buses would return to normal.
Now, to make things worse, I hear they are cutting the route further to only service as far as Catshill.
This troubles me because it affects people who work in Worcester and Birmingham.
Recently I’ve applied for a part-time job there, because of the experience I’ve had, but know I won’t get it because of the bus situation.
I would be so grateful if I could just at least get my post back, but I know this is not going to happen and that’s ten years of hard work down the toilet at one of the best places to work for.
Gary Morris
Our walking trips to Worcester will end with 144 cuts
SINCE our retirement we travel a lot from Northfield to Worcester to enjoy walking along the river and spending money on food and drink in Worcester.
So please help to keep the 144 bus service at the very least to Longbridge.
K Hayden
Bus cut-back will mean I cannot use pass in the county where I live
LIVING in Rubery my bus pass is issued by Worcestershire County Council, so could they please explain to me why they are stopping me from using it in the county that issues it from where I live?
They have dispensed with the 143 bus to Redditch which means I am unable to visit my son and family. This must have caused many problems for those in employment and also difficulties getting to the Alexandra Hospital.
Then the 144 was dropped to an hourly service. And now the decision is in the balance – whether to completely finish with transport from where I live to the county which also takes my council tax.
It’s beginning to feel like discrimination.
A Swingler
Rubery
Fares are what need cutting – not the service
IT MAY be worth noting that if First Bus lowered its fares on this rout, more would use it. At present I believe it is £7.50 per return.
A similar journey on West Midlands Services – from Wolverhampton to Birmingham – is £4.20. And for that fare you can use as many of their services as you please in the day.
Then I guess First would prefer to drop the service and not the fare.
Mark Hadleigh
Cut ‘Demand Responsive Transport’ to safeguard 144
MAY I suggest that funding for the continuation (or replacement) of the 144 to Longbridge, or at least to Rubery, might be found if the expensive ‘Demand Responsive Transport’ project were abandoned?
I have recently seen an article quoting a council source as saying that 45 per cent of requests for the DRC’s use are fulfilled – ie 55 per cent are not, and this clearly ignores those without a smart phone who are unable even to request it.
One problem seems to be that while DRT is smart, trendy and fashionable, a traditional bus service being none of these things is less likely to get a subsidy however much people may need it.
KT
Marlbrook
COVID-19 is in its third year and, thanks to a successful NHS vaccine roll-out, nearly 80 per cent of Bromsgrove Central and Sanders Park residents are now double vaccinated and are beginning to resume their normal lives.
But imagine living in a country where the supply of vaccines, PPE and syringes is reliant on the generosity of wealthier countries.
Where, until the pandemic struck, it was a challenge to deliver lifesaving vaccines to children – let alone the COVID-19 vaccine.
Where there was no oxygen supply available should your baby become sick. And, where millions of people live in remote, rural communities, only accessible via boat or foot, hours away from the nearest hospital.
This is the reality for millions of people living in Bangladesh, a country I visited last month in my role as an Ambassador for the UK Committee for UNICEF, where I saw for myself the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on an already-crumbling health system.
People there are just getting their first vaccine – 15 months after the UK first got ours.
Strong health systems are essential for the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines and for ensuring essential health services are not disrupted due to the pandemic.
This World Immunisation Week, UNICEF UK is calling on the UK Government to continue investing in health systems all over the world to protect children’s futures, no matter where they are born, and end the pandemic – for us all.
Readers can make a difference by singing UNICEF UK’s petition here urging the UK Government to protect children’s futures.
David Harewood,
UNICEF UK Ambassador
We welcome your letters…..
What pressing issues do you feel need addressing in Bromsgrove, Rubery, Droitwich and South Birmingham? Send us your views to [email protected] or [email protected]
