Bus Company Success On Horizon

Thursday, 25 February 2010

Residents of Sandbrook Road and Shirdley Crescent have had their concerns about the suspension of the 49 bus route taken to Arriva.

Arriva announced in January that they were planning to cancel the route to the town centre on both Saturdays and Sundays. The company claimed that not enough people were using the route to justify its continuation, but a number of local residents have complained that the decision will result in some elderly residents who rely on the service being ‘imprisoned in their homes’ each weekend.

MP John Pugh has now taken the residents’ concerns to Arriva, who have subsequently promised to review the situation. The Lib Dem MP also put forward a number of alternative options, including turning the 49/49A into a loop service or even diverting some buses from the 44 route. Prospective Ainsdale candidate Haydn Preece meanwhile has asked Norwood Councillor David Sumner - who sits on the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority -to also raise the issue

Dr Pugh and Mr Preece recently sent a survey to residents in the affected area in order to establish a clearer picture of who is currently using the service, and where they are travelling to. They have promised to present the findings to Arriva.

Mr Preece said "Due to the intervention of our MP John Pugh, and the strength of feeling aroused from the residents affected, Arriva are now reviewing the situation  - and we are hopeful that the service will now re-instated. This route is a vital lifeline for residents in the Sandbrook."