Petition to stop Stagecoach changing the 51 bus service to Eastbourne from half hourly to hourly

Committee report · Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Mon 8 Sep 2025 · East Sussex County Council

What it recommends

In the report's own words. A recommendation is a proposal: the meeting can agree, change or reject it.

“advise the petitioners that:”
“Stagecoach cannot sustain a half-hourly bus service between Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells due to the considerable costs involved coupled with passenger numbers.”
“The level of ongoing annual subsidy from the County Council could not be accommodated within current Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding allocations without compromising other bus services and county-wide fare initiatives.”
“The County Council will continue to work with Stagecoach to identify and implement highways measures to reduce service delays, as well as improved real time information for passengers to help achieve improvements in service timekeeping which are key outcomes of the East Sussex BSIP.”

What the meeting decided

The minutes record: Resolved. “RESOLVED to advise petitioners that: (1) Stagecoach cannot sustain a half-hourly bus service between Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells due to the considerable costs involved coupled with passenger numbers; (2) The level of ongoing annual subsidy from the County Council could not be accommodated within current Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding allocations without compromising other bus services and county-wide fare initiatives; and (3) The County Council will continue to work with Stagecoach to identify and…” minutes ↗

In plain English

Each sentence was checked against the passage it cites; how the checking works.

Recommended · This went to the meeting on Mon 8 Sep 2025. What was decided is in that meeting's minutes.

Officers recommended that the Lead Member for Transport and Environment tell petitioners that Stagecoach cannot financially sustain a half-hourly bus service between Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells, because of the costs involved and passenger numbers. p5

Officers said the level of council subsidy needed to maintain a half-hourly service could not be met within current Bus Service Improvement Plan funding without affecting other bus services and county-wide fare initiatives. p6

The council said it would continue working with Stagecoach on measures to reduce delays and improve real-time passenger information for the 51 service. p7

On-bus surveys found an average of around 10 passengers on each surveyed journey on sections of the route between Hailsham and Heathfield, and between Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells. p10

1 further sentence of this summary was held back by verification and is not shown. We only publish claims that survived checking against the cited passages.

Show the 4 passages this is based on

p5RECOMMENDATIONS: The Lead Member is recommended to advise the petitioners that: (1) Stagecoach cannot sustain a half-hourly bus service between Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells due to the considerable costs involved coupled with passenger numbers;
p6(2) The level of ongoing annual subsidy from the County Council could not be accommodated within current Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding allocations without compromising other bus services and county-wide fare initiatives; and
p7(3) The County Council will continue to work with Stagecoach to identify and implement highways measures to reduce service delays, as well as improved real time information for passengers to help achieve improvements in service timekeeping which are key outcomes of the East Sussex BSIP.
p102. Supporting Information 2.1. On-bus surveys undertaken last year by the County Council confirmed that there is a relatively low number of passengers on the 51 service. Surveys on various days in October and December showed an average of 10 passengers on each surveyed journey on the section of route between Hailsham and Heathfield, with a similar number on the section between Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells. The County Council verified the results with Stagecoach, who reviewed their ticket machine data to confirm consistency in terms of passenger numbers across the year. 2.2. The revised daytime hourly frequency level of Service 51 is not untypical of other inter-urban bus services in East Sussex. Whilst a higher frequency is more desirable, the current hourly frequency is still running at a loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, underwritten by Stagecoach. To revert to a half hourly frequency is estimated to double the financial deficit. 2.3. Stagecoach’s new timetable from March 2025 originally included changes that made it more difficult for people to arrive at their workplace in Heathfield for 09:00. The County Council worked with Stagecoach, and they resolved this timetabling issue to ensure that the relevant morning 51 bus journeys remained unchanged. 2.4. The County Council also resolved a separate issue with reduced service capacity between Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells schools. To ensure pupils could continue to access these schools, the County Council secured an additional return bus journey on schooldays (numbered 251). This contract was awarded to Stagecoach following competitive tendering, using BSIP funding. 2.5. The County Council is reliant upon future revenue funding allocations from UK Government so it can continue to support what is a growing number of socially necessary services which bus operators can no longer provide on a commercial basis.

Places and organisations it names

East Sussex County Council

Other papers for this meeting

Lead Member for Transport and Environment agenda · Committee agenda
Appendix 1, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 1, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 1, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 2, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 2, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 3, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 4, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Appendix 5, Lead Member for Transport and Environment · Committee report
Decisions made by the Lead Cabinet Member on 16 June 2025 · Committee report
East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) - Funding Request Assessment Process · Committee report
Highway Maintenance Incentive Funding 2025/26 · Committee report
Lead Member for Transport and Environment minutes · Committee minutes
Review of Strategic Highway Policies and Asset Management Plans · Committee report

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