‘Dismay’ at Stagecoach’s decision to cancel bus services
Gloucestershire County Council have today expressed dismay that Stagecoach have registered intent with the Traffic Commissioner to cancel or change bus services across the county.
After months of massive disruption to bus services, Stagecoach has made the move to prioritise urban and commercial routes leaving rural communities isolated. This means bus services delivering upwards of an estimated 300,000 journeys a year will be cancelled, preventing people from accessing work, school, hospital appointments and leisure activities.
The county council has worked tirelessly to try and ensure this didn’t happen by attempting to work in partnership with Stagecoach and is still working hard to find alternative providers for the bus services being cancelled.
Market testing has already been completed and a full procurement will be underway shortly, but the county council is warning that it is a difficult market in which to find replacement operators.
Gloucestershire County Council provides Stagecoach and other bus providers with £10 million a year of funding for subsidised routes and reimbursement for use of the concessionary fares bus pass. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic Gloucestershire bus providers were bailed out by a government package to the tune of £1.4 million.
Cllr Philip Robinson, Cabinet member for Education, Skills and Bus Transport, said: “I am hugely disappointed that Stagecoach have placed commercial interests over the needs of many of their customers in rural communities. We have attempted to work with the company for a long time to try and ensure that this did not happen, but the day we feared has sadly come.
“Reinstating the cancelled routes with new providers is a priority for us but this is a very challenging and difficult market and while we will make every effort to find alternatives this will be a far from easy path.
“We have also taken the very serious decision to report Stagecoach to the Traffic Commissioner. We will provide regular updates to residents on our progress.”
While this is NOT a consultation process if you wish to provide your feedback on the changes please go to:
Stagecoach served notice to make the following route changes:
Service to change from
20 November
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24
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Gloucester – Coleford – Chepstow
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Coleford to Chepstow withdrawn
|
|
24
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Gloucester – Cinderford – Coleford
|
New registration of a Gloucester-Cinderford-Coleford service
|
|
25
|
Mitcheldean – Cinderford – Coleford
|
Withdrawn, some sections of the route replaced by the new 24 service
|
|
27
|
Cinderford – Park End – Lydney
|
Subsidised 27 withdrawn, commercial 827 retained
|
|
710
|
Cinderford town service
|
Withdrawn
|
|
748
|
Westbury – Blaisdon
|
Withdrawn
|
|
755
|
Lydney town service
|
Withdrawn
|
|
761
|
Beachley – Sedbury – Chepstow
|
Withdrawn
|
27 November
|
A
|
Cheltenham (Prestbury-Benhall
|
Change – reduced frequency from earlier in the evening
|
|
B
|
Charlton Kings – Cheltenham
|
Change
|
|
C
|
Springbank – Cheltenham
|
Change
|
|
D/E
|
Bishops Cleeve – Cheltenham
|
D improved, E withdrawn
|
|
F
|
Leckhampton – Cheltenham – Hesters Way
|
Commercial Monday-Friday changes, weekend subsidised service retained until 19 February
|
|
H
|
Kingsditch – Cheltenham
|
Minor changes
|
|
58
|
Cirencester Town Service
|
Withdrawn
|
|
93
|
Arle Court Park and Ride Service
|
Withdrawn
|
|
94
|
Cheltenham-Gloucester
|
Removed from Arle Court
|
19 February
|
K
|
Benhall – Up Hatherley – Cheltenham
|
Withdrawn
|
|
F
|
Leckhampton – Cheltenham – Hesters
|
Weekend subsidised service withdrawn
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