First unveils changes to bus services in Cornwall

Cornwall's biggest bus operator has announced a raft of changes to services, with some being withdrawn and others boosted.

First says it is making the changes, which come into effect on February 19 and mainly affect the west of the county, to match resources with demand. The news comes as Cornwall Council's cabinet announced a U-turn on concessionary fares.

The authority threw the public transport network into disarray last year when it signalled the subsidy it pays to bus operators would be slashed. However, the authority on Tuesday put £2.4 million into protecting some rural services.

Simon Newport, regional network manager, First South West and Wales, said the company nonetheless needed to alter some services.

"We have reviewed the local network and are making a number of changes to both simplify the current timetables and better match our limited resources against the actual demand for our services," he said.

"In some places, the frequency of buses is being reduced slightly, while where we have seen an increased demand for our services the frequency of some buses is being improved to cope with the higher numbers of people travelling. While we understand that some people may be concerned about the reduction in frequency of some buses, these changes are necessary as it has become increasingly more difficult for us to operate underused journeys, as the costs of operating buses in the current climate have escalated in recent years."

Mr Newport said that the economic climate remained "tough, particularly where support for tendered bus services has been reduced and where our business remains under pressure from cuts to the level of concessionary fare reimbursement that operators like us receive".

However, he added that "in making these latest changes, we have done what we can to ensure the long-term sustainability of the commercial routes we operate."

The changes will affect a number of services in Truro, Falmouth and Penzance.