View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
March 20, 2007updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Council keeps £850,000 bus statistics secret

By Press Gazette

Norfolk County Council have refused a request from the Eastern Daily Press to hand over a league table of the best and worst performing bus routes in Norfolk compiled by a state-of-the-art tracking system.

The council has spent £850,000 on Busnet – which tracks the performance of 330 Norfolk bus routes – but rejected a request made under the Freedom of Information Act to hand over the data because to do so could "prejudice the commercial interests" of the council and the bus company.

The council also argued that by sharing its results it could encourage people to use cars by putting them off using poorly performing services.

Maureen Orr, the council's FOI officer for planning and transportation, told the EDP: "Should service ‘XX' be identified as running unreliably, passengers could choose to use another service of leave public transport altogether. It could also increase congestion and have environmental impact if more cars enter the network."

Norfolk MP Norman Lamb told the paper that the reasons the council gave for not disclosing the information are "precisely the reasons why the public ought to know".

He said: "If you look at the trains where one has an obligation to disclose its statistics, it's been a very effective way of applying pressure to improve the performance. To keep it confidential is bizarre in the extreme."

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network