Dismay as bus route stopped

A bus route which serves Shoreham and Horsham is being mothballed until further notice.

Southern Transit managing director Neil Bird said the route was stopping due to the cost of a ticket machine upgrade, lockdown restrictions and ridership numbers. The service, which was in operation every Thursday, ran for the final time on January 28.

Neil, 38, from Upper Beeding, said: “It’s a bit like taking the central line out the underground. We don’t know how long these lockdowns are going on for.”

The route first launched in 2013 and caters to a range of customers, including concessionary passengers, which Southern Transit receives funding from the county council for.

But Neil said West Sussex County Council is now stipulating he must install new ticket machines – at a cost of £8,000 – to help them monitor passenger movement and bus route use, and this is making the bus route unaffordable.

He added: “If you [the council] support us with these ticket machines we can continue to prove a vital service. We need more accessible bus stops at the same time.”

A West Sussex County Council spokesman said it was now a central government requirement for bus operators to provide this data, and added: “We have been working closely with bus operators to keep services, including maintaining funding for contracted services and the free bus pass for eligible passengers, throughout the COVID-19 crisis.”