A SPECIAL subsidised taxi service to get hard-up people to work or training is set to be axed to save cash.

Lancashire County Council's Cabinet will this week be asked to approve the end of the Burnley Employment Shuttle because too few people use it to justify the cost.

Set up in March 2010 the 'Dial-a-Ride' taxi service offers cheap subsidised taxi travel to work for low-paid workers or jobseekers without cars or access to public transport.

They can book a place for just £2 a trip or £18 for a week of ten.

Burnley Labour MP Julie Cooper has said the proposal is 'short-sighted' and urged the county council to advertise the shuttle to boost passenger numbers.

She said in view of cuts to local bus services it would leave some people with no way to get to work.

The Cabinet item says that the number of regular users had dropped from 30 to nine meaning the subsidy for each of the 3,629 passenger journeys a year had risen to £7.71 and an annual total of £27,982.

Officers say the maximum recommended subsidy for this kind of service is £5 a trip.

The county council does not operate an employment shuttle in any of its other 11 boroughs but Blackburn with Darwen Council does have a similar subsidised travel-to-work service.

A spokesman for the county council said: "A proposal has been made to stop the Burnley Employment Shuttle service, as it has only been used by a very small number of people. This led to a high level of subsidy.

"This service was designed to provide travel options to work not covered by other public transport services, so we recognise that this will significantly affect the people who use it.

"A three-month notice period would be put in place to allow the people who use it to make alternative arrangements."

Mrs Cooper said: “It is concerning to hear of plans to scrap this service which has allowed Burnley constituents to get to employment or training where there is no alternative public transport.

"I hope that county councillors carefully consider the consequences which will deny people who want to work the means to do so.

"If the number of people using the service are as low as suggested, I ask whether it was being properly advertised: people can’t use what they don’t know about.

"We have recently seen cuts to local bus services which have made it more difficult for many to get to work.

"This all seems short-sighted.”