A BUS service which connects Newbold and Overslade to the town centre is to be axed as it is no longer cost-effective – a move branded a ‘disgrace’ by a Rugby councillor.
Stagecoach has today (Tuesday September 27) announced it is withdrawing the 3A bus route. The last day of operation will be Friday October 28.
The bus operator says it is ending the route following a review of customer travel patterns that have changed over the last two years.
It says the decision was made in consultation with Warwickshire County Council as part of their ‘commitment to review the bus networks and work in partnership to deliver improvements to the network’.
Mark Whitelocks, Managing Director of Stagecoach Midlands, said: “In partnership with the county council, we have reviewed services and the withdrawal of route 3A will help us provide a more overall sustainable network.
“The pandemic has changed how and when people travel. For some, the need to commute daily has changed and our choices about how to shop and how and where we meet with family and friends has also changed.
“We have to reflect those changes in our network as well as the realities of the changes in the economy that are impacting on the costs of running bus routes and the availability of staff to drive and maintain and our fleet.
“Sadly the level of usage of the 3A service is no longer sufficient for us to meet the costs of providing the service.
“Its now time for us to make some changes to our services and the alterations in October will enable services on the network to run more reliably, which will help us deliver better services for our customers.”
Coun Jim Ellis, who represents Newbold and Brownsover at Rugby Borough Council, branded Warwickshire’s bus services ‘a disgrace’.
He said: “Isolated communities on the edge of town seem to receive an expensive and substandard service. There is little surprise in finding that the bus is not carrying passengers regularly.
“The sheer cost alone of riding the bus is eye-watering. The infrequent nature of the buses makes them unreliable.
“School pupils are riding for £185 a term. This simply isn’t sustainable when our cities are seeing a capped £2 journey. Once again small towns and villages are hit.
“Because buses are run for profit and not for the benefit of communities, they are cut to the bone or removed by a commercial entity.”
Visit www.stagecoachbus.com for more information.
