A lot of concerns have been raised about the 13 bus, which has replaced the 213 and services Epping St John’s school, particularly around fares and the timetable.
I’ve been looking into this on behalf of the Epping Forest Transport Action Group (EFTAG) and have popped a couple of FAQ answers and a survey up on their site: http://eftag.org.uk/13faq
Fares
Basically, the fare was never £1 – it appears that drivers were undercharging and not issuing tickets. The same was happening on the 250 and 251 evening services, leading to massively under-reported passenger numbers which contributed towards Essex County Council’s decision to remove their subsidy for the routes.
Unfortunately there’s not much we can do about the fares – EOS is a private bus operator and only receives a de-minimis payment from the County Council for the service but that payment will reduce over time.
The cost of the bus does raise potential issues around access to education but that’s not something we’re going to be able to address in time to help parents and guardians now.
Timetable
There’s better news re the timetabling: Chris Hunn, who runs EOS, is reviewing the timetable and I think will announce changes over the next few days