Urgent public meeting to be held after bus service is axed
AN urgent meeting has been arranged following the “shocking” permanent cancellation of a vital Derby bus service with fears it will deeply impact a city suburb.
Trent Barton has announced the Spondon Flyer service will not return amid a review of the company’s network as required by the Department for Transport ahead of the end of Government coronavirus support for bus companies in the autumn.
The Spondon Flyer has been out of service since November last year when Trent Barton decided to suspend the service citing an industrywide shortage of bus drivers. Since then a petition has been launched in various forms and signed by more than 2,000 residents calling on Trent Barton to bring back the Spondon Flyer as soon as possible. There are fears footfall in Spondon has dramatically declined as a result.
But the bus firm recently announced the service was to be permanently cancelled. Other services were also affected.
Now councillors in Spondon, who include Derby City Council leader Chris Poulter, have called a public meeting with residents to discuss the options for the service. It will take place at 7pm on Thursday, July 21, at the main hall of West Park School in West Road.
A social media post from the three Conservative Spondon councillors, also including Evonne Williams and Nicola Roulstone, detailing the meeting, states: “This (the cancellation of Spondon Flyer) will cause considerable impact to Spondon residents, businesses and the wider communities. We would like to work together to look and discuss potential options to take forward.”
Councillor Poulter, who launched the petition earlier this year, said he could not understand the thinking behind the decision. He said last week: “I’m honestly shocked. It seems like Trent Barton is determined to pick on the people of Spondon. Why, what was a flagship service, and one of the best in the country according to Trent Barton, has gone from being that to surplus to requirements, we don’t understand.”
But Trent Barton bosses said the decision was made to permanently cancel the Spondon Flyer as the service “did not carry sufficient customers”. Trent Barton has said that the Ilkeston Flyer will continue to serve most customers who caught the Spondon Flyer from the village centre.
Jeff Counsell, Trent Barton’s managing director, said: “We are very sorry indeed that we must make these changes but in order to continue to deliver our other services we cannot afford to absorb the losses made by these routes, which simply do not carry sufficient customers.
The routes affected had been struggling before Covid and have not seen the bounce back in numbers that other services have seen.
“The changes will enable us to run more services, more frequently, on the journeys that most people need, growing customer numbers and making them more sustainable.
“We are talking to the local authorities and other operators to see if they can support any of the affected routes. Some customers will also be able to access other Trent Barton services and those of other operators.” Anyone who is unable to attend the public meeting but would like information is urged to email the three councillors or email neighbourhoods@derby.gov.uk. People can also call 01332 642 686 or 07812 301 828.
This will cause considerable impact to Spondon residents, businesses and the wider communities.
Spondon councillors