WHAT a difference a year makes. It was only last year that we reported com-plaints about the lack of car parking spaces at Great Western Hospital and that it cost 80p an hour to park.

But we were assured by our civic bosses that Swindon Council's anti-car policy would win the day by making people hop on the bus. A good public transport system, they said, was all that was needed.

Now one of the proposals to help reduce the threat of huge council tax increases is to axe spending on concessionary bus fares.

And, you've guessed it, two of the routes affected could be the numbers 15 and 11 to the hospital.

Thamesdown Transport managing director John Owen warns that if the bus operator gets less money from the council, it would be forced to recoup money and some unprofitable routes like the hospital runs would have to be scrapped.

This could also lead to the doubling of some fares to help make up the shortfall. Making cuts in this way will lead more people to use their cars a policy the council is actively discouraging.

And just because a route is unprofitable doesn't mean it is not vital especially to the elderly and those who may not have cars or be able to afford a taxi when they need to get to hospital.