Villagers plea for bus service to be returned

Residents of Throop near Bournemouth want a former village bus stop used again

Villagers are calling for an operator to bring back a local bus service.

The route to Throop in Dorset was stopped by a previous operator in 2016, leaving passengers with half-mile walk to the nearest alternative bus stop.

At a protest on Thursday some older residents said they were unable to manage the uphill walk back home with their shopping.

Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch (BCP) Council said "the service was very little used by residents" and current operator Morebus added "it is doubtful there are sufficient users at Throop for a service to be ever be commercially sustainable".

Elaine Harvell (right) says it's hard for older people to manage the walk to the nearest alternative bus stop

Elaine Harvell lives in the village and says many people only moved there because there was a bus service at the time.

"I have health issues. There's a lot of older people with health and mobility issues," she said.

"It's half a mile to the nearest bus stop and when it's raining or slippery underfoot, it's dangerous and very stressful.

"Because I have lung issues, coming up the slope is very difficult, my breathing, and carrying shopping as well, makes it doubly worse."

Lucas Stevenson (right) is a local teenager

Teenager Lucas Stevenson is fit enough to manage the half-mile uphill walk, but says at night, it doesn't always feel safe.

"It's about a 20-minute walk. I work in Bournemouth and coming home at 22:30, it's late, to be honest, it doesn't feel like the safest road to be walking down.

"I think, safety and convenience wise, having a bus that stopped here would be great."

Local Labour MP Tom Hayes says he supports the resident's calls for action

Bournemouth East Labour MP Tom Hayes said he knows how important having a rural bus service is to older people: "I grew up caring for two disabled parents who could not get the buses they needed to get around. I know how limiting and frustrating this is.

"I've been working with Morebus to get this route going, and I'm calling on them to provide what is a socially valuable route - even if they say it's not commercially viable.

Hayes added he will "go the Secretary of State and ask what more she can do".

A BCP Council spokesperson said it previously provided financial support for a bus service but "unfortunately, the service was very little used by residents and was withdrawn".

"The Council has a limited budget for supporting bus services and this is fully allocated at present," they added.

Richard Wade, Morebus general manager said: "This service was run by Yellow Buses, who took the decision to withdraw it many years ago - long before the collapse of its operation.

"It is doubtful there are sufficient users at Throop for a service to be ever be commercially sustainable. For this reason, it is unlikely to receive Bus Service Improvement Plan funding.

"However there may be alternative options to consider - including the possibility of a locally-run community bus - which the Enhanced Bus Partnership feels would be an appropriate option for Throop residents."

Independent BCP ward councillor Kieron Wilson is backing the campaign and has met with the bus company: "My residents have been very active, and I would love to see this come to fruition for them."