MORE than ￡45,000 of taxpayers' money has been spent by a council on a shuttle bus; just to get their staff to and from work.
Cheshire East Council had run the bus service for employees whose place of work was transferred from Chester to Crewe when the authority formed in April 2009.
It ran between Crewe railway station and two council offices in Crewe and was seen as an incentive for staff to use the train to get to and from work.
Now figures obtained by The Sentinel under a Freedom of Information Act request show the council spent ￡45,745.50 on the bus service between October 2009 and April 2011.
Transport firm D&G Bus ran the service, which operated between the train station and Emperor Court and Delamere House, at the start and end of each working day.
The figures reveal 10,500 journeys were made by council employees – at an average of 140 passenger journeys per week.
A spokesman said: "The service was provided to aid the relocation of Cheshire East Council staff from Chester-based offices to Crewe as part of Local Government Reorganisation.
"The aim was to encourage as many staff as possible to travel by train from Chester to Crewe, with a direct shuttle bus operating to the main office locations."
The contract for the shuttle bus service was initially awarded on a temporary basis until April 2010.
It was then extended for a further year, only to be scaled back on February 28 to only serve Delamere House after consultations with employees and analysis of usage figures.
The entire shuttle bus service, which cost ￡89-a-day to run, was scrapped this April.
At the end, it had been providing three journeys each morning and three journeys each evening.
Taxpayers today hit out at the service which had been laid on just to ferry staff to and from work.
Managing director Mel Wilson, whose Crewe lifestyle store Macouti is threatened with demolition, said: "This seems like a lot of money to spend and could be better spent on improving the town centre and access to the town centre for shoppers.
"A free shuttle bus for everyone would be a great idea."
David Mountford, of Crewe Jewellers and Pawnbrokers, has previously called for a free bus service to link the railway station, the town centre, Grand Junction Retail Park and the Crewe Business Park.
Mr Mountford said: "I would donate ￡5,000 a year to it because I would have an influx of people from the retail park every hour.
"I have to pay for my travel to and from work and so do my staff, so why should council employees get a benefit?"
But Simon Nagington, aged 32, owner of cafe Riminis, in Market Square, Crewe, thinks the service is a good idea.
He said: "Anything which helps Cheshire East Council to keep its employees is a good idea if it helps to retain their expertise."
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