Your County Councillor Colin Spence has now been able to discover the background behind the withdrawal of the 112 bus service through Little Waldingfield. He has also found out what is being done by the County Council to soften the blow for those left without transportation.
Firstly, it has to be said that the service was under scrutiny already due to the fact that it really is not very much used. I know that this is of little comfort to those who DO rely on the service however. I will not bore you with the calculations (I do have them if anyone would like more details) but the bottom line is that an average of 4.4 passengers travel on each bus journey, of which over 55% are concessionary pass holders. It had been hoped to preserve at least the peak hours service for people going to work, but this has been stymied by another related development.
This is the fact that part of the route, but not that portion that includes Little Waldingfield, has been taken up ‘on a commercial footing’ (i.e. without public subsidy) by one of the local bus companies. This means that the 112 cannot be seen as viable in any event since the area served uniquely by the service would be very limited. Also Government legislation does not allow for a public subsidy on any bus route which crosses over a commercially run route.
However, residents will not be left without transport, and the proposed solution, a Demand Responsive Transport service, could well be a better option for most travellers and is likely to offer improved flexibility.
A similar service runs in Polstead, which like Little Waldingfield has repeatedly lost and regained a regular bus service over the years. I spoke to the Babergh member for Polstead, Sue Wigglesworth, about it, and she said that many prefer the on demand service since it is more reliable and flexible.
The proposed service, Suffolk Links Cosford, operates from 07.00 to 19.00 Mondays to Saturdays and the bus will take you to any village within the area that it serves, and connections can be made for onward travel to places further afield such as Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds etc. Journeys are booked in advance, and bus passes and other concessions are accepted by the service.
Council officers are investigating as to whether the service can help those needing to travel at peak times for work etc.
More information can be found by clicking on the link below:
http://www.suffolkonboard.com/suffolk_links_demand_responsive_transport/suffolk_links_cosford
If you need further help or information please contact Colin Spence, on 01787 378184
