Residents protest to try and save 159 bus route

Roberts Travel Group who operates the service is stopping the route on Saturday 25th of February.

A protest has taken place outside Leicestershire County Council's headquarters to save the 159 bus service.

The 159 bus takes passengers from Hinckley and Coalville, stopping in villages such as Market Bosworth, Newbold Verdon and Stapleton.

Roberts Travel Group who operates the service is stopping the route on Saturday 25th of February as they have had the funding cut from Leicestershire County Council which makes it no longer financially viable.

Rebecca Day, from Barlestone, said: "People rely on that bus. It is mostly students and elderly people that use that bus and young families. I see kids in pushchairs on the bus all the time. Loads of people rely on the bus who may not be able to make their own way there."

A petition to save the service was launched by Leicestershire Liberal Democrats.

Mark Sheppard Bools, the councillor for Newbold Verdon with Desford & Peckleton, said: "Lots of the elderly people that we've been talking to it is their only escape from the villages they live in and without it, they really are going to be stuck and isolated sadly. The reason it was originally funded was that it was so important and it was really important to all the people who used it to get to work, college and school."

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Leicestershire County Council currently subsidises the service by £162,260 a year – which equates to £532 a day.

The county council plan to bring in a demand responsive transport service for people who live more than 800m away from an alternative bus service:

• Stapleton & Woodland Nursery to Barwell - 3 return journeys per week.

• Cadeby to Market Bosworth - 2 return journeys per week.

• Junction of A447 & B582 to Ibstock - 1 return journey per week.

• Hugglescote to Coalville - 2 return journeys per week.

Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The stark reality of the financial situation facing councils is that we’re not able to step in and subsidise all commercial services, which like this service often require subsidies in excess of £160,000 a year.

“Unfortunately patronage on this service wasn’t sufficient to make it financially viable for the operator. Most villages on the route will have access to other buses services but from February, we will be taking action to support residents who are not close to an alternative service and putting a flexible, bookable, demand responsive transport service in place to make sure people can make important journeys.

“We’ve worked with our MPs to set out the tough choices ahead and how losing out on Government cash to bolster our bus network has hampered efforts to support the industry. This has secured a meeting with the Chancellor in the New Year where we’ll be raising the importance of a better, more sustainable funding deal from Government for buses and other vital services.”