Leighton Buzzard: Elderly couple left 'devastated' by bus shake-up

Hugh and Margaret Denniston say they are devastated they can't catch a bus close to their house any more

A couple who rely on public transport have said they have been "devastated" after the bus to their estate was axed.

Hugh and Margaret Denniston now have to walk 20 minutes to their nearest bus stop in Leighton Buzzard, despite Mr Denniston's painful ankle condition.

It is one of a string of changes to the bus service in the Bedfordshire town, which has seen some areas lose their buses, while others gained them.

Central Bedfordshire Council said it has "worked hard" to meet local needs.

Mr and Mrs Denniston, who both don't drive, used to live metres away from the bus stop, but their service was among those cut this month.

"We were devastated when we heard they were finished in Chelsea Green - we thought 'oh no'," said Mrs Denniston.

"We've lost our car, now we've lost our buses."

Mum Rachel Litwin says passengers should pay for their fares in order for more bus routes to run

However, the council has said the new timetable meant some new housing estates will get public transport for the first time.

Passengers will also be able to travel free within the town until Christmas.

But for others like mum Rachel Litwin - who has also seen the bus cut to her neighbourhood in another part of town - it is of small comfort.

"It is helpful to those who need to go uptown to have a bus fare," said Ms Litwin.

"But I'd rather pay the bus fare and have a bus service back round here."

'Unviable'

A petition to campaign for some routes to be reinstated has been set up - and a public meeting will be held on Wednesday.

The council has responsibility for buses, run by nationwide operator Arriva, which says anyone with feedback should contact the authority.

Central Bedfordshire Council said it had tried to balance the withdrawal of some buses by adding routes to new places that run more frequently and for longer.

"We have worked hard to make sure the new services meet the needs of passengers and where some services on particular roads have not been retained, the new stops are within a short walk," it said in a statement.

"Across the country, many towns are faced with losing their local services, with low passenger numbers making services unviable for operators."

It added that it wanted to boost passenger numbers to pre-pandemic levels and would be closely monitoring the service for the next six months.

The council says many people will be able to catch a bus for the first time from their neighbourhood

The government said it was helping to boost bus services and had extended a £2 fare cap for most operators until October.

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said: "We've invested more than £3.5bn in buses since March 2020, including over £4m to help Bedfordshire deliver its local plans for improving services."

Across the East of England, about £116m of central government money will be spent on bus services over the next four years.

Graham Vidler, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, says passenger numbers need to rise to make bus services sustainable

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), representing bus and coach operators, said more income was needed to keep services running.

Chief executive Graham Vidler said: "You can do it through central and local government investment in services - that's probably a short-term necessity.

"In the longer term, much better to do it by people choosing to use the bus and paying a fare to do so."