Buses matter. They are a lifeline here in Cheltenham for so many people, from children travelling to school to older people attending appointments at Cheltenham General Hospital.
Local bus usage has struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels, and the commercial bus market has shrunk as a result. But for many there is no easy alternative. Readers will know I tend to get around by bike, but that’s simply not credible for many Cheltonians. So I was concerned when Stagecoach announced last year it would be withdrawing certain routes in Cheltenham as part of its action plan to improve reliability.
I was particularly troubled when the western leg of Service F, which connected Rowanfield, St Mark’s and Coronation Square with Cheltenham town centre, was withdrawn.
That’s why I called an urgent meeting with the Cabinet Member responsible at the local authority to lobby residents’ behalf. Residents in this part of Cheltenham should not be left without access to an adequate bus service. I and other Gloucestershire MPs have also continued to make the case in Parliament for improvements.
So I am delighted that the Government has listened and stepped in. New Government funding of £4.418m will be used to set up 21 new bus services across Gloucestershire.
This cash means some services which were withdrawn last year by Stagecoach can now be reinstated, if operators come forward to run the routes. Funds are now in place to allow Service F again to run from the west of town into the town centre.
Other routes in line to benefit in Cheltenham include Service C (Springbank to Cheltenham town centre), Service 66 (Cheltenham to Stroud), Service 41 (Cheltenham to Tewksbury) and Service 801 (Cheltenham to Moreton in the Marsh).
GCC will also use the funding to improve existing routes by boosting the frequency of services, with services running later in the evenings and at weekends.
With Cheltenham’s buses becoming more frequent, more reliable and with fares capped until at least 2024, this marks major progress in our campaign for better bus services here in Cheltenham.
[Column pubished in the Glos Echo and Cheltenham Post]