ONCE again your letters page reflects the opinions concerning the local bus services, but Messrs R Millsum and J Rayner fail to understand the implications of the operations of such services.

Firstly all bus operators have to pay to use bus stations, whether maintained by local authorities or agents on their behalf.

Therefore, this can add significantly to the running cost of each service, so presumably the 125 service operator has this in mind.

Secondly, the Golden Pass for senior citizens in Wales sounds excellent on paper but, as correctly pointed out, this has to be funded from the local authority and the Welsh Parliament.

In fact each bus service operator in the Principality has such services monitored weekly, when the information on passenger numbers is passed to the local authority for the bus company to be reimbursed. If the numbers fall below a certain threshold, as is happening frequently in Wyre Forest, then that service is reduced, or possibly withdrawn.

Consequently many senior citizens in Wales have a Golden Pass but no bus service, or an infrequent one.

Quite simply, if J Rayner had free bus travel as in Wales, and used the service to Kidderminster three times per week, this would have to be reimbursed to the bus company to the tune of £9, or £468 annually from the council tax. This would be per person per household, so if two people live at their address most of their council tax would be eaten up without all the usual services being provided for.

Lastly, Phil Tonks, of the National Federation of Bus users, is correct in urging those who really need a bus service to press their concerns with candidates in the forthcoming elections.

However with costs as mentioned above, I doubt if many politicians or the electorate would venture down that route, and as recently experienced in Luton where a free bus service was provided for all ages, nobody would use it anyway.

A PHILLIPS

Sandbourne Drive

Bewdley