Bus protesters say save our service
RESIDENTS are up in arms over the planned cancellation of a bus service that runs between Wilmslow, Grove Lane and Stockport.
Stagecoach Manchester will discontinue a section of the 378 service due to ‘falling passenger numbers’ – but local people say it will leave some pensioners stranded.
Janet Taylor, who lives in Wilmslow, says she has been told the service will stop on April 23. She has set up an online petition that had over 730 signatures at the time of writing.
She said: “We also have a hard copy of the petition that has got over 1,000 signatures.
“There are lots of elderly people who use the service and they are going to be the ones who will really suffer. My mum is 87 and she is going to be effectively housebound. The bus stops right at the end of her road, so she can get to the stop, but she can’t walk any further.
“A lot of people have also been in touch with us to say they use the service to commute from Stockport to Wilmslow for work.
“It is supposed to be a public service, it’s not supposed to be just about making a profit.”
Barbara Heslop, 80, lives on Grove Lane and says the cancellation of the service will mean she is unable to get into Stockport to see her sister, who is 76.
She said: “I use the service twice a week, but this is going to make it very difficult. I can’t walk all the way into Handforth and the only other bus goes direct to Manchester.
“It will have a big impact on my life and the lives of other people around here.”
A spokesperson from Stagecoach said falling passenger numbers mean it has ‘become no longer sustainable for us to continue to run this service’.
They added: “We apologise to our customers who are affected by this change.
“We provided information to Cheshire East Council in January, who will be evaluating whether they can support a replacement service on this section of the route.”
The service was last part-subsidised by the council in 2012 for the evening service only.
A spokesman for the council said they are ‘currently gathering information on the service and will issue a further statement shortly’.
“Currently there are severe pressures on the limited resources available for local bus support,” he added. “The council will carefully consider the impact of the stopping of Martin R Vincent this service in accordance with the council’s policies on local bus support.”
And residents have also gained the backing of Tatton MP George Osbourne, who said: “I fully appreciate my constituents’ concerns about the cancellation on the 378 bus service and have taken the matter up with Cheshire East Council.
“I would urge any Tatton residents who are affected to contact me so I can keep them fully informed.”
For more information visit change.org/p/cheshire-east-council-keepthe-vital-378-bus-routeto-wilmslow.