HALF a million pounds will be spent on making buses in Colchester greener, it has been revealed.

Travel bosses from bus companies met with Colchester Council’s scrutiny panel to discuss issues around public transport.

One of the solutions, which was put forward by Essex County Council, was to invest in making Park and Ride buses more environmentally friendly.

Deborah Fox, one of the transport bosses at the county council, said it recently secured £500,000 of Government investment to bring 30 buses in Colchester, including the Park and Ride fleet, up to a high Euro 6 air quality standard.

A report submitted to the council said: “Our aim is to reduce congestion in the town, which costs the local economy over £25 million per year.

“We want to promote the Colchester Borough Card, which is a weekly and monthly multi-operator season ticket and is administered by First Essex on behalf of other bus operators, and the Quality Bus Partnership on Route 88 from Halstead to Colchester.

“We will also engage in partnership activities with Colchester Travel Plan Club and bus operators such as National Clean Air Day on June 21 and Catch the Bus week in July.”

Arriva will also benefit from the Government funding, converting their fleet to the Euro 6 standard engines.

The company is also looking to introduce Arriva Click, a flexible minibus service which takes multiple passengers all heading in the same direction. Using a phone app, passengers can register details and select pick up and drop off points.

First Bus is also looking to increase mobile ticketing and contactless payments making travel easier for customers and speeding up boarding times.

Community 360, an umbrella charity which supports vulnerable people in Colchester, is looking further improve its service.

Community 360’s chief executive Tracy Rudling said: “We have five accessible mini buses and 35 volunteer drivers who transport people in their own cars.

“It really is about that door-to-door service so we have memberships if people cannot get to a bus stop.”

Other issues include congestion in Colchester town centre and access to bus stops.

Bus company Hedingham Chambers said: “In Colchester, buses are rarely able to pull up flush with the kerb giving the ambulant disabled and drivers attempting to deploy wheelchair ramps serious challenges.

“Worse still buses are often unable to access the kerb at all because of legal and illegal parking.

“Unfortunately, the bus station area is also badly laid out in this respect.

“There are too many individual stopping points and these points are not clearly marked by destination, making the system difficult to understand.”

MORE needs to be done to make buses more accessible for residents, it has been claimed.

Colchester Council’s scrutiny panel met to discuss issues around public transport.

One of the main concerns raised by residents and parish councillors was the accessibility of buses.

Geoff Whybrow, from Tiptree Parish Council, said: “We are disappointed with public transport in the village. If we come to Colchester we have to leave by 7pm.

“It must have an impact on businesses in Colchester and hospital visitors, you just can’t do anything.

“I find it difficult because Colchester is thriving for business; there’s restaurants, the hospital and theatres but we can’t go anywhere.

“The buses are suffering in the evening and afternoon as if you go anywhere you can’t get back.

“I just feel something needs to be done for Tiptree as we are being penalised.”

Wivenhoe councillor Rosalind Scott (Lab) raised the issues of public transport if new garden communities are built saying congestion will inevitably increase.

She said: “”Bus services need to be accessible and that is absolutely essential.

“It should also be the answer to air quality issues, not the cause.

“I would like to know if there are plans for electric buses and how many low emission buses there are and whether there could be smaller and more frequent buses.”

Elizabeth Trellis, transport representative for East Donyland, focussed on town centre congestion.

She said: “In Colchester there is terrible difficulty with congestion at bus stops.

“People have to try to get down to where the bus does stop and sometimes it goes right past the stop as there isn’t any space.

“It is very stressful for people.”

The councillors met to listen to concerns and a meeting will be arranged in the future to decide possible solutions.