Unite anger at Plymouth city council decision to sell CityBus
29th May 2009
Unite, the UK’s biggest union, has today (Friday) expressed fury
at Plymouth city council for setting the wheels in motion to sell
off local bus company CityBus, one of only 13 municipal bus
companies left in the country.
Unite is concerned that the sale means a potential loss of jobs,
a reduction in services to the community and a number of routes
lost.
City Bus, covering all of Plymouth and Saltash, has been run
successfully on a commercial basis for the last 25 years with no
other financial help. Over 400 members, including drivers,
maintenance workers and general bus workers along with many members
of the public are all set to be affected by this decision.
Unite regional officer, Clayton Roberts, said: “This is an
insult to the workforce and management who have all worked
extremely hard to make CityBus the commercial success it is today.
We are bewildered as to why Plymouth city council is willing to
sell off such an asset.
“The bus service provided to Plymouth offers a yearly return of
over £500,000 a year. The council however has said that there is a
potential financial liability to the council and so must be sold
off to the highest bidder.
“This decision is political nonsense and selling this asset in
the middle of a recession does not make fiscal sense. The impact on
passengers and fares could also be less than beneficial. Plymouth
city council is cutting its nose off to spite its face.
"They have a very useful resource for the city and much used
public service in the form of CityBus. Plymouth city council cannot
simply let it go to pay off debts."
ENDS
Please contact Clayton Roberts on 07711 057 083 or Mark Di-Toro
in the Unite press office on 07918 640 579
Nots to editors
The sale will also lead to the end of subsidised tickets for
thousands of people in the community.
Email to a friend
