Boy wins battle to bring back 'vital' summer bus

Jack engaged with the local community and councillors, before meeting representatives of the bus company

A 15-year-old boy has won his battle to bring back a seasonal bus service after locals told him they had "been chopped off the map".

Jack and his family used the number seven bus, running between St Osyth and Clacton seafront in Essex, during their own holidays until it was axed in 2023.

Then the teenager, from Dagenham, east London, began engaging with local councillors, gathering almost 900 signatures on a petition and meeting representatives of bus company Konectbuses to get the service reinstated.

"This bus route meant so much to me, as well as everyone else. There's just no words to really describe it," said Jack.

Jack said people had been telling him how isolated they felt without the service.

"They can't go anywhere... all of a sudden, where this vital bus has gone, you can't connect with communities further out," he said.

"It's such an isolated area in St Osyth, where it's just country lanes, trees and that's it. There's no major roads."

Now, after Jack's campaign, the new number 10 bus will take an extended route to Clacton Shopping Village, and will return in 2026 if popular, according to Go East Anglia, parent company of Konectbuses.

Jack was aboard the first bus after it returned

Tracy Tilson, 59, from the Tudor Bar on St Osyth Beach, said she was "super proud" of Jack for his efforts to bring back the bus.

"Jack has gone above and beyond for a teenager of his age," she said.

"The walk to Jaywick is barely manageable for some, let alone the walk to Clacton, so the bus is essential for some; for doctors, banks, hospital, shopping and generally meeting people."

Konectbuses said the Sunny Hopper Beach Bus would operate on route 10, connecting Clacton Pier Avenue and St Osyth Beach, up to every 60 minutes.

"If it proves to be successful, we will consider bringing it back in 2026, so we encourage as many residents and holidaymakers to use the services during the next six weeks to secure its future," said a Go East Anglia spokesman.

It has also reintroduced the open-top Clacton Breeze back on route 6A, running every 30 minutes between Point Clear, Haven, Orchards Holiday Park, St Osyth and Clacton town centre.

Both services will run until 31 August.