Swingeing cuts to UK bus services in regions outside London mean there will be up to 70 per cent fewer people on buses than before the coronavirus pandemic, a report released Tuesday says.
The Urban Transport Group report says the impact will be akin to Covid lockdown restrictions, when numbers using public transport plunged.
The report's release prompted a UK transport chief to say bus services in the UK were on a “precipice".
Government financial support for buses in England outside the capital has allowed transport authorities and bus operators to keep services running during this extended fallow period. This support is due to expire on April 5.
The report — Continuing Covid Funding Support for Urban Public Transport — warns that bus patronage in metropolitan areas could fall to 70 per cent of pre-Covid levels within a year of the end of funding, owing to a combination of service reductions, higher fares and changing travel habits.
Pre-pandemic, 901 million bus trips were made in city regions outside London (the metropolitan areas).
The report projects that over a quarter of bus services could be lost without further funding.
“Once government Covid-related financial support ceases at the end of March, operators will be faced with a position where their revenues are below pre-pandemic levels and their operating costs are similar, if not greater, than they were pre-pandemic,” the report says.
“This position will not be financially sustainable. Bus operators are likely to respond by cutting services and increasing fares. This would lead to further decline in bus patronage.”
Call to extend bus support for another year
The report recommends that to stop any further decline, government financial support should be extended for at least another year.
It models two funding scenarios for the metropolitan areas over the next year which would support the restoration of bus patronage. In the first scenario, £245 million would be needed to maintain bus patronage at 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. In the second scenario, £450 million would be needed for bus patronage get closer to 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
We are standing on the precipice of a huge reduction in bus services
Laura Shoaf,
Urban Transport Group
Given that the government’s support for urban public transport since the start of the pandemic has averaged at around £1 billion per year, the level of support needed to stop further decline after the current funding expires would be less than the level of support provided previously.
“We are standing on the precipice of a huge reduction in bus services, which could deal a devastating blow to passengers who rely upon them,” Laura Shoaf, chairwoman of the Urban Transport Group, and chief executive at West Midlands Combined Authority,
“Once public transport patronage is lost, it is very hard to get back, and we are facing a vicious circle of decline whereby reduced bus networks lead to services being less attractive or buses simply not being available, which forces operators to raise fares, further reducing passenger numbers.
“As the modelling in this report shows, there is a solution to stemming the decline in bus patronage, which is for government to extend its current financial support beyond March.
“Only this action will secure vital bus services which are under threat, allow patronage to recover, and ensure that the bus can contribute to government’s aspirations around levelling-up and decarbonisation.”
Public transport retrenchment at the worst time
The report also addresses light rail services, whose use has been similarly reduced by the pandemic and only kept afloat by government support.
This support is set to expire at the end of March and the report predicts a large drop in light rail patronage too, although it does not give figures, because a detailed assessment wasn't made.
In a bid to counteract funding cuts, public transport fares in the UK outside the capital are set to rise 3.8 per cent this year.
London does not escape the countrywide trend. Mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday announced the biggest London Tube and bus fare increase in a decade, with prices to rise by an average of nearly 5 per cent.
Public transport and better urban mobility are important to the UK government's commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The UK is also facing a cost of living crisis fuelled by rampant inflation and rising energy prices, which the public transport debacle will only compound.
“Investing now in revenue support to maintain patronage has the potential to be more cost effective than paying later to invest in capital schemes intended to try and get that demand back,” says the report.
“It would allow time for there to be a debate about how in the medium to long term, the public sector supports public transport provision with the goal of levelling-up and decarbonising the country’s transport network and supporting wider economic, social and environmental policy goals.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
SPECS
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
The%20Killer
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Company%20profile
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Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
