South Gloucestershire villagers fear being "cut off" if bus route is axed

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said the number 5 bus could be cut, but First West of England stressed 'no decisions"'have been made yet

Hundreds of villagers will be left "isolated" if an under-threat bus route is axed, says campaigners.

At a public meeting on 1 August, campaigners from Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire, said how vital the Y5 service is.

Villages said they fear being "isolated from their families" and left stranded if the bus route is cut.

A spokesperson for First West of England stressed "no decisions" have been made yet.

Dan Norris, head of the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), announced in July the number 5 bus, from Downend to Bristol, and the Y4 and Y5 between Yate and the city could be cut.

The operator has called this "speculation" ahead of a network review, but the firm's boss told a South Gloucestershire Council meeting some services would be withdrawn from October when the government's Covid funding ends.

Residents said recent cuts meant they could not get to places like Fishponds, Downend, Southmead and Kingswood and parts of north Yate were effectively cut off

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Pucklechurch Parish Council chairwoman Gail Boyle said: "A lot of residents tell me what they fear most is being isolated from their families, and this could happen with the loss of the service.

"Funding for buses is concentrated in urban areas and we just want our fair share for rural communities."

She said the solution would be a community minibus on a circular route around the villages to get people to transport hubs at Yate or Lyde Green where buses could take people on.

Mr Norris added: "Services like the Y5 are run commercially. Unfortunately when a bus company decides to stop a service there is not much that can be done."

A First West of England spokesperson said bus operators must assess the viability of all routes once funding ends in the autumn.

They said: "We must stress no decisions have been made and it would be inappropriate to comment on speculation at this stage."