Call for action on Dial and Ride replacement
York’s Liberal Democrat councillors are pressing Labour council bosses to take action to reinstate the city’s much-missed Dial & Ride service.
It was confirmed at the Full Council meeting on March 27th that the only money set aside in the council’s budget for 2025/26 for Dial & Ride is to be spent on hiring consultants to produce a report about a replacement service. This comes nine months after a cross-party scrutiny task and finish group concluded that there is a clear need for a replacement service. Ordinarily scrutiny task and finish group recommendations are considered by Executive, but the Dial & Ride report has been ignored and does not feature on the council’s Forward Plan.
Councillor Paul Healey asked at the Full Council meeting:
“Can the Transport Executive Member please explain why no apparent progress has been made in responding to the recommendations of the scrutiny Task & Finish report on Dial & Ride which was completed nine months ago?”
Councillor Kate Ravillious, Transport Executive Member, responded:
“As you will know we have put some money aside in our budget to start to look at the model we need to develop for a Dial and Ride service. Our Officers are currently working on appointing some consultants to develop that model.”
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Stephen Fenton, who was a member of the task and finish group, said:
“The many elderly and disabled residents who relied on the Dial & Ride service before it ended in December 2023 will share my dismay at the lack of action. If the Executive Member believes that a consultant’s report is needed in order to move this forward, why did she not commission it nine months ago when she received the scrutiny report?
“The Liberal Democrats’ alternative budget for 2025/26 included £150,000 to get Dial & Ride replacement service up and running as soon as possible. It was disappointing to see the ruling Labour Group vote against this.
“There is cross-party support for a replacement service to be introduced, which makes this dither and delay even more difficult to comprehend.”