Bus cuts will leave me isolated, says blind singer

Denise Leigh performed at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games

A blind opera singer has said cuts to bus services in her area will leave her and her family isolated.

First Bus Potteries will reduce some of its Staffordshire services from 2 July, citing a reduction in passengers.

However, Denise Leigh, from Audley, said her local service was being cut completely, leaving her son struggling to get to school and making it almost impossible for her to get into town.

Others have also criticised the cuts, however First Bus said the changes would make the entire network more viable in the long term.

"It’s really worrying," said Ms Leigh, who sang at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games.

"We don’t drive so we’ve not got an alternative but to use the buses, and I just don’t know what we’re going to do when the [number] four is gone."

The singer's guide dog has been trained to safely support her on the number four service

The number four service currently travels between Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent and Wereton Road, stopping in Audley where the singer lives. However the new timetable will see it stopping short of her village.

It will mean no services into the city centre, leaving her with no option but to get a taxi, which she said would cost her between £15-£18 each way.

It is also limiting options for her son to get to school, she said.

Another bus, the 1A, will take her to Newcastle-under-Lyme, however it would require more training for guide dog Tilly.

"I’ve got to teach her where that comes into the bus station, and how to get safely out of the bus station, which is obviously a really busy area," Ms Leigh said.

First Bus Potteries said the timetable changes were about making sure its service remained commercially viable

First Bus said the routes earmarked for change did not bring in enough money to cover operating costs and that passenger numbers were 20% down since the Covid pandemic.

While Ms Leigh said she understood the route was not always busy, to lose it completely promises to "cut the village off entirely".