Protest fails to halt commuter bus service axe
CHANGES to a vital commuter bus route have been confirmed by transport bosses, despite a petition to save the route reaching 500 signatures.
Last month the Observer reported that Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) planned to cancel the Kingsway business park Local Link bus service which is used regularly by commuters in Rochdale.
Now, TFGM has confirmed that from Sunday, April 24 a new bus route will replace the existing Local Link service to Kingsway Business Park.
Local Link is a service provided by Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) which provides minibuses to residents living in areas underserved by public transport services.
TFGM say the changes have been made as space on the minibuses is limited, and in some cases passengers have been unable to travel due to capacity issues.
The new traditional fixed-route bus service aims to boost capacity and ‘will offer an hourly and daily service between Rochdale and the business park from the early mornings until the evenings’.
However, Claire Sykes, who works at JD Sports at Kingsway, said the changes are ‘no good’.
She said: “For me it’s no good as I live outside of the new timetable area. My travel cost will rise from £20.60 to over £50 as I will have to use taxis in the morning as my local bus doesn’t start running until after 8am.
“The bus leaving Kingsway is at 05.50 and every hour so anyone finishing at 6am will have a long wait. We collected over 500 signatures for our petition to save Local Link but to no avail.”
Nick Roberts, TFGM’S Head of Services and Commercial Development, said: “Local Link has served the areas surrounding Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale, for many years, and I’d like to thank our passengers for using our services.
“The Kingsway Local Link service was introduced when bus passenger numbers were low, and demand for the service had yet to be established.
“Since then, people living across Rochdale have enjoyed access to Kingsway through the service, but as demand has increased we have taken the opportunity to introduce a network of fixed route services.
“This new service will offer more capacity, without the need to pre-book journey, and will pave the way for a wider range of benefits for the Rochdale area as a whole, including twice as many buses to Hollingworth Lake, twice as many buses to Milnrow and a wider network of evening services across the borough.”