Bus service to be reinstated

FOLLOWING a campaign by residents, an afternoon bus service will be reinstated. The later afternoon services of the SB10 – which runs a circular route beginning at Stevenage bus station and taking in Bedwell, the Old Town and Stevenage Station - were stop

FOLLOWING a campaign by residents, an afternoon bus service will be reinstated.

The later afternoon services of the SB10 - which runs a circular route beginning at Stevenage bus station and taking in Bedwell, the Old Town and Stevenage Station - were stopped last year.

Stevenage Borough Council (SBC) removed its bus subsidies because of rapidly increasing costs, and Herts County Council (HCC) consequently withdrew some of the services in the town with lower usage, including the later afternoon services of the SB10.

A petition containing more than 800 signatures demanding the service be reinstated was presented to HCC in March by David West, chairman of Stevenage Bus Users' Group.

As a result, from August 1, there will be afternoon services at 3pm and 5pm Monday to Friday, and a service at 3pm on Saturdays.

Mr West said: "We are pleased that two services have been reinstated, but they did take away six. It's as good as we could have hoped for."

The reinstated services will run for a year to see if there are enough passengers using the buses to warrant making them permanent.

"If people don't use it we will lose it again," warned Mr West.

Cllr Sharon Taylor, leader of SBC, said: "This is an excellent example of the council listening to the public and then acting appropriately.

"The SB10 route serves many important facilities and I am very pleased we have been able to find the funding to restore these afternoon services.

"I am sure this will make a big difference to many people, particularly in the Old Town.