A NEW panel which has been set up to tackle passenger transport issues in Worcestershire had its first official meeting.

Worcestershire County Council's Environment and Economy Panel is one of four new themed panels with an over-arching overview and scrutiny performance board (OSPB) to agree and commission the Panel's work.

It was agreed one of the top issues for scrutiny for new panel was passenger transport.

During wide-ranging discussions the panel quizzed cabinet member for transport, Councillor Derek Prodger, and the council's sustainable transport manager on a number of key issues.

Access to the county's main hospitals, how concessionary bus fares vary from district to district, the new Bromyard Road bus lane, costs of school transport, bus information, bus shelter provision and cycle routes all came under the spotlight.

Chairman of the panel, Ken Pollock, said: "Clearly passenger transport is always going to be a hot topic. Latest figures show that customer satisfaction levels with bus services in the county have improved, however they're still below the national average on all the issues we talked about.

"The panel is anxious that the disadvantaged in our communities - people living in rural areas, people without cars who can't access the Park & Ride, or parents who can't afford to pay for school transport up front, aren't penalised as they are at the moment. We will certainly be following up on these to ensure a more 'level playing field for all passengers across the county."