Bury St Edmunds Bus Station Labeled ‘Embarrassing Welcome’ by Bus Company Owner

A bus station has been described as an “embarrassing welcome” to a town by a bus company owner. The scrutiny committee of West Suffolk Council is scheduled to examine reductions in rural bus services during a meeting set for 17:00 GMT in Stanton. Nevertheless, documents prepared for the meeting include a statement from David Munson, who owns Mulleys buses. Mr. Munson asserts that Bury St Edmunds’ bus infrastructure requires enhancements and increased investment. Cliff Waterman, the Labour leader of the council, which had previously taken ownership of the bus station, confirmed that these concerns were acknowledged prior to the upcoming meeting. Mr. Munson expressed his belief that “very little” progress had been made within the borough to support bus providers. In his statement, he remarked: “Unlike Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds has no bus lanes, no priority areas, dirty unkept bus shelters, a bus station with no staff or information desk and a filthy row of bus shelters.” He added: “The whole bus station is an embarrassing welcome to Bury St Edmunds.” He suggested that the council could secure funds for infrastructure improvements, for instance, by raising ticket prices at The Apex venue. In reply, a council spokesperson stated that “millions of pounds” had been allocated to the local economy through initiatives like the purchase of property in Anglia Lane, Bury St Edmunds. A statement released by Suffolk County Council also observed that the absence of staff at the bus station “had a detrimental impact on anti-social behaviour on site”. It further indicated that this situation had resulted in numerous passengers “switching at other stops nearby when possible”. The statement also mentioned that the station is situated “some distance from the main town centre,” an area inaccessible to buses. It concluded: “As such, the best way to guarantee that a journey can be made by those with physical impairments is through the Connecting Communities services.” Mr. Waterman explained that the council holds “no statutory duty” to supply buses or their associated infrastructure, as it is neither a highway nor a transport authority. However, he noted that it had historically “provided discretionary facilities in some local communities to support bus travel.” He elaborated that St Edmundsbury Borough Council, the council’s predecessor, voluntarily funded a new bus station in Bury St Edmunds during the period of bus deregulation, when the previous station was not substituted. He stated: “Deregulation meant bus operators no longer had to provide facilities like this for their customers.” He continued: “Since then the West Suffolk Council took the station on and, despite receiving no funding for it, has invested in it. This is a small station and like many of its kind across the country, is unmanned.” Addressing the points raised in the report, Mr. Waterman indicated that the council was “keen to have urgent talks” with its partners regarding potential future arrangements for sharing running costs. Nevertheless, he highlighted that the concerns expressed do not “suggest that the condition of bus station is the underlying reason for the reduction in rural bus services.”