HEREFORD'S all-electric free Zipper bus service current funding will be ceased in 2026.
The city council, which operates the government-funded service with Yeomans, has decided not to use precept funding for the buses at the end of the current contract next year.
ALSO READ: City council 'considering other funding methods' for Zipper buses
At a meeting on January 28, some city councillors said they felt "misled about the costings of the project when it was first discussed".
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Minutes from the meeting said that although the service had "proved popular with users", it did not serve all areas of the city.
"It was questioned whether the city council should be involved in the licensing of buses which was a specialist field," the minutes said. "Whilst support could be made available for younger and older members of the community it was suggested that the city council shouldn't actually be running a bus service."
The cost per individual journey to the city council worked out as around £1.80, with the minutes saying "there was doubt that those who had been using the free service would actually pay".
The minutes added: "There was a suggestion that the Zipper bus should be allowed to bed in in 2025 and at the conclusion of the contract in 2026, the city council should start charging and operating new routes.
"However, there was concern about the city council competing with commercial services which were already subsidised, raising the likelihood that the city council would need to subsidise any fee-paying service they provided via the precept.
"Whilst several members felt that the city council could be proud of the Zipper project, they acknowledged it had run its course and should not be continued."
The chair of the council called for a vote and it was resolved "to cease operating the Zipper bus at the conclusion of the current contract".
A previous version of this story stated the buses would be scrapped in 2026. However, the city council has clarified that it has agreed to scrap the precept funding for the buses. It says it is still considering other funding options to keep the service operating.
