The passengers told there will be no service during rush hour and the school run

Changes have been made with more set to happen very soon

AS people catch a bus to make their way into work and school all across the county each morning, there will soon be one village where the bus won’t be stopping.

Planned changes to Arriva timetables mean that for 90 minutes during rush hour and the school run, no buses will be picking up passengers in Newbold Verdon. It comes after changes to the 153 route which passes through Desford, Market Bosworth and Leicester Forest East.

Julie Bailey, a civil servant from Newbold Verdon who works in Leicester city centre, has caught the 7.05am bus from the village to work for 19 years. Julie’s bus is one of two that will be scrapped when changes to the timetable come into effect at the start of next month.

Losing the two buses will mean the village, on Arriva’s 153 route, will have no bus stop there between 6.18am and 7.48am.

She said: “I’ve no idea what I’ll do now. I’ve caught that same bus every day at the same time.

“If I catch the earlier bus I’ll have to get up at quarter to five in the morning and then walk through the city centre in the dark to get to work and I don’t feel safe doing that. If I get the later bus I’ll be late for work.

“Times on the way back have changed, too, so I have to walk through town centre streets in the dark to get to the bus stop after the route changed.”

Jennifer Collins’ 16-year-old son, Joshua, relies on the 7.28am bus to get to Leicester College.

She said: “When the timetable change comes in there will be an hourand-a-half in the morning rush hour where there is no bus into Leicester.

“People rely on those two buses to get into work, college or school. They are well used so it doesn’t make sense to get rid of them.

“My son uses the bus to get to Leicester College and back in time for work. At the moment, there’s a bus every 30 minutes, when this new timetable starts there will be an hourly or less service.

“How are people supposed to make use of the service when the buses don’t even run in rush hour? I don’t know what people will do.”

Arriva have made changes to the number of buses running and timetables across the county.

Passengers have slammed the changes which have caused students to be late for school and staff late for work.

Arriva said the timetable has been revised to “better match customer demand and ensure it remains financially sustainable’’.

A company spokesperson added: “The service will now operate hourly, with the short journeys between Leicester and Newbold Verdon withdrawn.

“Most journeys will extend from Market Bosworth Square out to Bosworth Water Park and the Battlefield Line Railway as a result of customer feedback.”