ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner Paul Smith says more needs to be done to get Bristolians out of their cars and using public transport following a survey of the city’s residents.
The majority of people surveyed are so unhappy with the cost and reliability of local services they would prefer them to be run by local authorities.
The 44-year-olds comments follow a transport survey he conducted in Bristol West - the constituency he is fighting for Labour at the next election.
Eighty-six percent of people condemned the services run by First Bus as too expensive and said it was cheaper for a family to travel by taxi than by public bus.
A further 69% also said it was unreliable
Mr Smith, who runs a recycling charity based in Old Market, said: “This position is totally opposed to how it should be and we need to take action – I am writing to First Bus and the city council to show the results of this survey and demand action is taken.
“We got a high number of responses, which I am really thankful for and it just goes to show how passionately people feel about the issue.”
Many respondents also suggested how the service could be improved including allowing Bristol City Council to run it.
“However what we need is to put pressure on First Bus to deliver a better service including the introduction of through ticketing to allow people to get to where they want to go at a reasonable price.
“We also want to see the bus company introduce family days during school holidays and selected weekends with free travel for children accompanied by adults.
“This should include family days in the run up to Christmas to allow people to shop by bus.”

Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy threw her support behind Paul’s campaign.
“I am delighted that Paul Smith is campaigning for better public transport in Bristol. Our bus services are overpriced and unreliable; indeed recent figures show that First Bus has once again failed to meet the Traffic Commissioner’s targets for providing a punctual service.

“The Labour Government is investing £42 million in bus services throughout the Bristol region, but there is still more to be done if we are to have the reliable and affordable transport network that passengers deserve, ” she said.

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Notes for editors
Many commuters also suggested that there was a lack of direct services from Gloucester Road to Temple Meads, the absence of through ticketing and poor routes around the city suburbs.
Other issues raised were about the lack of good quality information – 44 percent (versus 36 percent) think that timetables and routes are not easy to understand.
Many people asked for better information about links between routes and there was a call by several people for a website that could allow one to plan public transport journeys