Big concern at bus services being changed
IT is of considerable concern that Stagecoach are pulling out of several local bus routes, Marchants and Swanbrook appear to be currently only interested in school and GCHQ contracts so that only leaves Stagecoach and Pulhams running our local services.
Stagecoach are due to cease running the 93 P&R to Arle Court and stop the 94 also calling in there, so the only service to the P&R will be the Pulhams hospital 99 route, so why are we building a transport hub there with only one bus route currently planning to call there?
I really hope that is not an excuse to let National Express to only call at Arle Court for Cheltenham, with very few or no connections to the town centre, especially after 6pm.
We currently don’t need a transport hub there, but we desperately need one in the town centre, similar to Gloucester, probably in the Royal Well.
This could be achieved by re-routing the road around the crescent, bringing the current wide road in to the development area and subsequently hiding the unsightly rear elevation of the municipal building.
The existing toilets and corner cafe could be upgraded and integrated in to this development.
The E and F routes are due to end later this month with currently no replacements, this leaves people in Leckhampton and Woodmancote with no bus service.
These are major residential areas which undoubtedly contain people unable to drive, who will be unable to get to town or even local shops.
This is a serious situation if Stagecoach, Pulhams, Swanbrook and Marchants are not interested in providing these services, I can’t think of any other company likely to take these services on.
I therefore think GCC will need to offer a greater subsidy for these important routes to make them viable for local bus companies to consider running, even if at a reduced frequency.
A possible solution in Cheltenham could be to re-route the P&Q to include areas currently served by the F, thus also providing a better, more frequent and later service for those on the P/Q route.
Equally, I can’t see why the E bus is being withdrawn, it generally follows the D route, other than around Bishop’s Cleeve, so why is it being withdrawn?