Elections 2022: Spondon Flyer loss sees residents take to taxis

Trentbarton said the Spondon Flyer was suspended due to a shortage of drivers

Residents have said the loss of a bus service has meant elderly people have to take taxis to reach local shops.

Operator Trentbarton said it suspended the Spondon Flyer service during the January 2021 lockdown, due to low passenger numbers.

The major political parties in Derby have outlined changes they would like to see to transport services ahead of the local elections on 5 May.

Trentbarton said it was affected by the "significant shortage" of drivers.

It said the service was brought back in March 2021 before it was suspended again in November due to industry-wide driver shortages.

But people in the area, who have been speaking to the BBC about issues that are important to them ahead of the elections, said the cut had forced residents to use taxis to visit local shops.

Sarah Brown said she had noticed fewer customers in the shop where she works

Sarah Brown, a shop assistant at a newsagents in Spondon, said although another bus - the Ilkeston Flyer - travels through Spondon, parts of the area had been left with no service.

She added she had noticed fewer customers in the shop, which is nearly a mile away from some homes.

"We have also noticed that we don't see customers as often - they just can't get to us," she said.

"It is a long hike... and it is all uphill to go home.

"We have one elderly, retired gentlemen who used to come two or three times a week.

"He is having to pay for a taxi so he now comes once a week."

The 51-year-old, who also lives in the area, added that other customers had told her it took them up to 45 minutes to walk to the shops.

"Then they are having to taxi it home because they are old and can't get back," she said.

Jackie and Barry Boole said the loss of the service had made life difficult for residents

Barry Boole, 75, said the Ilkeston bus was often full.

"It's getting ridiculous. You can wait here up to 20 minutes for a bus and one will come through and it is so full coming from Ilkeston you can't get on," he said.

His wife Jackie, 74, said the situation was particularly difficult for people travelling to the Royal Derby Hospital for appointments.

"If they can't get [a bus], they are in a mess when they get there and are late for an appointment so they are anxious," she said.

"There are a lot of people [in Spondon] who are quite elderly or have children so it makes life difficult for them.

"It really does affect a lot of people."

Daniel, 34, an adult student, said he relied on the service to get him to college from Spondon to Darley Abbey.

"I'm studying employability skills at college. It's a work placement for people with learning difficulties like myself," he said.

"I used to get the Spondon Flyer before it got taken off before Christmas, apparently because of the shortage of drivers.

"Sometimes I just walk it - it takes about an hour, an hour-and-a-half. I did it in the snow a couple of weeks ago.

"Public transport is key, especially to a city like Derby. People need public transport and buses are important."

Student Daniel says public transport provision is a key issue

However, Zainab Bhatti, 20, a medical student, said she found the Ilkeston bus was "usually fine" - although she said she has experienced issues with other buses in the city.

"Sometimes they just don't turn up, then I have to wait half an hour for the next one," she said.

Derby City Council leader Chris Poulter started a petition to reinstate the bus service

Chris Poulter, currently Derby City Council's Conservative leader and Spondon ward councillor, said the loss of bus services were a big problem for people with mobility issues.

"Without the bus service, some of them are struggling and getting more isolated," he said.

He has started a petition, calling on Trentbarton to reinstate the Spondon Flyer.

"We had looked at other routes and services to see if they can be re-directed to help but we have not found any solutions that way either. We are working on it - it is a problem," he said.

Deputy Derby Labour Group leader Nadine Peatfield, said they would bring buses back into local control

Nadine Peatfield, deputy leader of Derby Labour Group, said: "One of our key pledges is that we will campaign to bring buses back into local control.

"That doesn't mean ownership - we are too heavily tied into contracts ever to be able to own bus services again.

"However, bringing them back into a controlled franchise is doable, like they have in Manchester.

"By franchising, we can make sure the service is regular, affordable and the routes are covered that people need.

"Those three things, at the moment, are all driven by profit."

She said other services in Derby had also been cut or were becoming less frequent and feared it was forcing people back into cars.

Ms Peatfield said: "That is the exact opposite of what we need right now - we have to be cutting carbon emissions. To be putting people off using buses is such a backwards step and is frightening when it comes to the wider picture of climate change."

Philip Wray, Liberal Democrat candidate for Spondon, said the bus driver shortage needed to be looked at nationally

Philip Wray, Liberal Democrat candidate for Spondon, said: "There is clearly a nationwide shortage of bus drivers.

"To blame the local bus company for it and tell them they have to restore the service when they can't hire drivers is ridiculous.

"We need to look at it as a national problem. The logic is we need to get together and stop raising petitions that can't possible work."

He said they should "work as a council to subsidise local routes and work nationally to come up with solutions".

Stephen Fowke, Derby Reform candidate for Spondon, said if he were elected he would try to get the service reinstated

Stephen Fowke, Derby Reform candidate for Spondon, said: "I have spoken to many concerned residents of Spondon about the Spondon Flyer.

"They want an immediate return of this service, as many are elderly and find it difficult to get into the village to get an alternative bus.

"Failing this, they are having to get a taxi if they can afford it but many cannot.

"I have spoken to Trentbarton about the matter but they say they cannot get drivers.

"Should I be elected as a Reform councillor, I would do all I can to get this service reinstated as soon as possible."

Helen Hitchcock said bus service cuts were impacting local businesses

Helen Hitchcock, the coordinator for the Derby Greens, said: "My family live in Spondon and when I was a child, I could catch a bus three times an hour outside my house - but the buses don't stop there any more.

"My parents both have accessibility issues and my dad has to use a taxi every time he wants to go out.

"For somebody like him, he would be able to walk to the bus stop but he cannot walk to the village from where he lives.

"Spondon high street is a thriving area but without that transport, some of those businesses are struggling.

"It's lunacy. We should be supporting bus services, not letting them be hacked away.

"I know there are funding issues but if we want to reduce congestion and if we want clean air, we need to support these services."

A Trentbarton spokesman said: "It is encouraging to see from the petition that there is demand for the Spondon Flyer and we're continually assessing our service delivery in relation to customer numbers post-pandemic and our driver resources.

"More than 60% of our customer base in Spondon catch the bus from the main stop that will continue to be served [by the Ilkeston Flyer].

"We are working hard to resolve the driver shortage."

A full list of candidates can be found here.

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