AN AFTERNOON bus service which was stopped last year because of a council s budget cut could be reinstated as a result of a petition signed by more than 800 people. Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) removed its bus subsidies last year because of rapidly inc

AN AFTERNOON bus service which was stopped last year because of a council's budget cut could be reinstated as a result of a petition signed by more than 800 people.

Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) removed its bus subsidies last year because of rapidly increasing costs.

Consequently, Herts County Council withdrew some of the services in the town with lower usage, including the later afternoon services of the SB10.

Sharon Taylor, leader of SBC, admitted at a council meeting last night that: "This has been particularly problematic for older people in Bedwell and the Old Town who use the service for access to the doctors' surgeries."

On Tuesday, a petition of more than 800 signatures was presented to Herts County Council (HCC) by David West, chairman of Stevenage Bus Users' Group.

He said he was told by Keith White, of the passenger transport unit at HCC, that if �14,000 could be found, at least two of the afternoon services could be restored.

Cllr Taylor said: "If that is the case we will do all in our power to find that money from a county source or our own, to fund the restoration of the service for a year or so until we have worked with our primary care trust to find a longer term solution to the issue of access to healthcare.