4,000 in petition bid to save X41
THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of the direct bus link from Accrington to Manchester.
The Observer revealed last week how bus operator Transdev is axing the Red Express X41 service from January 26 after making a £300,000 annual loss.
Commuters now face making the longer journey from Accrington to Rawtenstall on the 464 before boarding the Witchway bus to Manchester.
More than 3,800 people have now signed an online petition set up by Chris Ralph and Hyndburn council leader Miles Parkinson said they will also write to Transdev voicing their opposition and concern.
The ‘Save the X41 Bus Service’ petition states: “The proposed scrapping of the X41 bus service from Accrington to Manchester is going to have a massively detrimental impact to the local community.
“Not only is this going to affect many commuters who rely heavily on this service to get to and from work, it would impact massively on school and college students. Not to mention anyone wanting a direct route into the city without having access to a car.
“This will literally cut places like Helmshore, Edenfield, Stubbins and Ramsbottom off from Manchester.
“The X41 has been a safe, reliable means of public transport for so many for so long and to suddenly drop the service is simply not acceptable.
“People at the top do not understand or realise the situation this will put people in. I have spoke to many people and seen comments on Facebook that prove this is literally causing people to rethink their whole lives!
“People who moved to the area purely due to the convenience of such a service. People who can’t afford to get to work by any other means.
“Those with children who can’t afford to be adding another hour if not more to their daily commute, not to mention the expense.
“As well as all of us who want to see less cars on the roads and help reduce carbon emissions which is what the whole country is supposed to be aiming to do.
“Public transport should serve the PUBLIC! Please sign and share and let us get this decision overturned!”
Councillor Parkinson said a direct bus link to Manchester is ‘vital’ to drive prosperity and growth.
He said:
“For the Northern Powerhouse to succeed then Lancashire and the smaller towns outside Greater Manchester need to have good connections, whether that’s by rail, bus or motor vehicle. All three play a critical role.
“If it doesn’t have that then it stagnates development and it’s one of those things need to be delivered.
“The council will be writing to Transdev and whatever happens on Thursday [General Election] the key for prosperity is the Northern Powerhouse to generate jobs and develop the local economy.
“It’s about really seriously levelling up the playing field between the North and South divide.
“Why should it take so much longer to get from Accrington to Manchester when you can travel across London in a matter of minutes?
Hyndburn Conservative group leader Coun Tony Dobson said he was ‘very surprised’ by Transdev’s decision to scrap the X41.
He said: “I always thought it was one of the better used bus services running in and out of Hyndburn.
“I know many people who have said they enjoyed an afternoon drink in Manchester and got the last bus back.
“I would call on Transdev to rethink their decision and be totally transparent with the council about what the issues are and see if there is anything we can do.
“Not only does it allow Hyndburn residents to visit other towns but it also allows people to visit Hyndburn. Transport links are important.”
Transdev said the decision was part of a wider service restructure across East Lancashire.
They will provide a new Irwell Line branch (482 bus) extending from Rawtenstall to Helmshore, Haslingden and Accrington which will run every hour and Accrington will also get its direct link back to Bury without the need to change buses. An extra 464 journey from Accrington will also be added at 5.32am to connect to Witchway at Rawtenstall, giving a 7am arrival into Manchester Monday to Friday.
A Transdev spokesperson said: “We’re grateful for the support of local people who really value our buses.
“We depend on our customers to continue operating in the local area. Like any other company we need to make sure what we’re offering is working for us as a business as well as for our customers. Unfortunately although a lot of people are signing the petition, not enough people are using Red Express and Red 4, which means we’re losing £300,000 per year on these routes.
“Losing so much money on two of our routes isn’t sustainable so we need to make a change. We’ve worked hard to find a solution that doesn’t mean withdrawing these routes and leaving people without a service. Our changes to Irwell Line mean that all roads served by buses continue to do so, journeys remain possible via a direct bus or one change at a secure and comfortable bus station, and at no increase to price for the vast majority of journeys.
“New links which people have asked for are being introduced too, such as a direct Ramsbottom to Rawtenstall link, and a direct Accrington to Bury link.”
To view the petition visit www.change.org/p/transdev-save-the-x41-bus-service