Bedford Borough Council and the Mayor have yet to respond to repeated requests for comment on planned bus service changes affecting parts of the town.
The Bedford Independent has contacted the council and the Mayor’s office four times since Wednesday seeking a response to the changes reportedly planned by Stagecoach, and comments made by councillors and residents. No response has been received.
In the interest of fairness, all major political groups represented on the council were given the same opportunity to comment and the same initial timeframe.
Read: Bus cuts to hit Putnoe and Goldington as Stagecoach reshapes Bedford network
Given the importance of hearing the views of the council’s ruling party, extra time was also offered to the Conservative administration, but still no response has been received.
The Bedford Independent always allows a reasonable period for responses and is happy to extend deadlines for good reasons.
Councillor concerns
Labour councillors have now joined Liberal Democrat and Green councillors in their concern over the cuts, adding that they have also been unable to obtain further information.
Cllr Sue Oliver, deputy leader of the Labour Group and councillor for Kempston North, said: “The Labour Group has been trying to get further information about these changes from Bedford Borough Council for weeks, without success.
“We understand their proposal was also to cut the Hillgrounds loop from the 53 route. A lot of elderly residents, especially from Edward Arnold Court, rely on this bus.
“It was bad enough when it was recently reduced from three buses an hour to hourly with nothing on Sundays, but to cut this well-used part of the route is outrageous.
“Stagecoach can’t call themselves a bus service as clearly all they are interested in is profit rather than serving residents.”
What is changing
The changes, due to come into effect from Sunday, 31 May, include the withdrawal of some services and alterations to others across Bedford.
Service 7 and Service 10 will be withdrawn, while Service 53 will be replaced by a new Service 2W linking Bedford with Wootton via Interchange Retail Park and Wixams.
Service 5 will be extended to Woodside, Dover Crescent, and Mark Rutherford School, and Service 4 will be extended to Elms Farm and Norse Road, running every 30 minutes.
Elsewhere, Service 3 will run directly without serving some stops, and evening services on several routes will run until around 10.30pm.
Stagecoach said the changes follow a detailed review of travel patterns, including independent research and discussions with local authorities.
David Boden, commercial director at Stagecoach East, said the aim was to better match services to demand while improving reliability.
“These changes are being introduced following independent research by Kokoro with people in the local community, including current and non-bus users, to understand travel habits and make changes best suited to local needs,” he said.
He said some areas would lose services because of very low passenger numbers.
“There are some areas where we haven’t been able to come to agreement, Wootton Hillgrounds being one, but sadly, with existing passenger numbers of on average 0.1 passengers per trip, it is impossible to provide a sustainable service there without support,” he said.
“There are also some areas of Putnoe and Goldington wards where passenger numbers are as low as 1.9 and 2.1 passengers per trip, where we again have not been able to secure agreement.”
Stagecoach said it had made some adjustments to limit the impact, including changes to Service 28 and proposals for additional support.
“We have, at zero cost to Bedford Borough Council, agreed to vary Service 28 to help in part of the affected area, and we have also offered a proposal for a service to be tendered for the remaining areas,” Mr Boden added.
He said the wider aim was to focus services where people are travelling, while also factoring in congestion.
“It is important… that bus services go where people want to travel and at times they want to travel,” he said.
“With the continued issues around congestion in our towns, we also need to build in time to make sure we can provide a timetable that our loyal customers can rely on.”
Bedfordians angry
Bedfordians commenting on the changes have expressed anger at the cuts and raised concerns about access to work, cost and the impact on those without cars.
One resident said the lack of direct links was an issue for Kempston.
“Never understand why there’s no bus to the interchange from Kempston. Would be better for businesses if there was and for people to get to work,” they said.
Another said the changes would make day-to-day travel more difficult.
“I live in Putnoe and don’t have a car. I have to rely on taxis, which are expensive, if I can’t get the bus at the time I want. Very frustrating, bring back the £2 price cap.”
Others raised concerns about reduced coverage in residential areas.
“I can’t believe that we won’t have a bus going along Hillgrounds. It will take me about 15 minutes to walk to the nearest bus stop, unbelievable,” one resident said.
Another added: “We have an ageing population that eventually will not be able to drive. Many are too poor to own a car. Cutting services is not the answer.”
Ongoing questions
With changes due to take effect in the coming weeks, questions remain about the council’s role in shaping the network and how decisions have been made.
The Bedford Independent will update this story if responses are received from Bedford Borough Council, the Mayor or Stagecoach.
