BUS users and other travellers are being asked for their views on the future of transport services in Gloucestershire.

Gloucestershire County Council has started a three-month consultation about bus services, community transport such as Dial-a-Ride services, concessionary bus passes and park and ride.

In a survey earlier this year almost a quarter of the 1,300 responses stated that existing services didn’t meet their needs.

The response to the survey has now been used to inform proposed changes that could be made.

Transport chiefs say they to ensure that subsidised bus services are reaching people who need them, are not duplicating commercial services and are busy enough to guarantee long term sustainability.

Proposals suggested include changes to park and ride arrangements and concessionary fare investment, better connections with existing services, community transport, such as dial-a-ride or voluntary car schemes – which are already widely used in the Forest – and making better use of commercial bus services.

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive (Con, Newent), Cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: “This is an opportunity for people to have a say in how we invest in council-funded public transport and to let us know how any changes will affect them.

“It’s no secret that budgets are stretched so we have to make sure that the services we provide are the right ones.

“We know people rely on public transport to get to essential services and we’re keen to hear what they think about how we can concentrate our funds on delivering what’s really needed.”

The majority of bus transport in Gloucestershire is provided by commercial services. But around 10 per cent of bus journeys or 1.8m annual passenger trips are subsidised by the county council at a cost of £2m per year.

The average subsidy per return journey is £2.22 but the actual cost to the council ranges from 60p to more than £30 per journey, depending on the service and area served.

There is also a suggestion that users of the park and ride services in Gloucester and Cheltenham – which costs the council nearly £200,000 – could be charged a “fair” price for parking that reflects the cost of running the sites.

A charge of £2 per car would remove the need for a subsidy.

Around 70 per cent of transport spending, some £6.7 million, is on concessionary travel for older and disabled people.

The council is asking which of the ‘enhancements’ it provides to the concessionary travel scheme are most important.

As well as the basic scheme, the council also: provides free transport for those accompanying pass holders who are unable to travel alone, allows free travel before 9.30am where services are infrequent, allows free use of park and ride and allows disabled pass holders to travel before 9.30am to get to work or volunteering opportunities.

The consultation has been welcomed by Forest bus campaigner Sue Dubois who urged people to respond.

She said: “At last Gloucestershire County Council are asking for our opinions – we face more subsidy cuts.

“I will be handing out paper copies at various times and some county council staff will be on buses handing out for those without access to computers.”

The consultation is available on Gloucestershire County Council’s website, www.gloucestershire.gov.

uk and paper copies can be picked up from the Forest of Dean Council offices in Coleford.

The closing date for comments in January 4.