Eastwood residents want progress on promised on-demand buses

Nottinghamshire County Council said in November that the service would be expanded

Residents are "desperately waiting" for an on-demand bus service to be rolled out, a councillor has said.

Will Mee, Labour councillor for Broxtowe, said people in Eastwood wanted "progress" on the expansion of the scheme that the county council announced in November.

It would allow passengers in remote villages to request a pick-up.

A service in Newark started on 8 April, but the council said it was still finalising plans for others.

The Demand Responsive Travel Service is part of a £5m upgrade to improve bus transport across the county.

Some of the routes included in the expansion are those that Nottinghamshire County Council said were no longer deemed commercially viable for traditional bus services due to low passenger numbers.

The scheme is designed to reach people living in remote areas

Plans for zones in parts of Ashfield, Broxtowe, Gedling, Newark and Rushcliffe are in process and will be launched over the next two years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Mr Mee said: "A lot of people in Eastwood, Kimberley, Nuthall and Greasley are older and are desperately waiting for this service.

"One resident I spoke to wants to stop driving because he previously had a stroke, but the bus service isn't good enough as it is.

"It's been six months, and people want to hear when the service will start."

Under the Nottsbus On Demand scheme, people should be able to travel anywhere between bus stops or other designated points with each service zone at a convenient time, using an app or making a phone call to book a seat.

Although people will not be able to request pick-ups from their homes, buses will use existing stops and landmarks like village halls.

According to the LDRS, the new zones launching this year will replace some scheduled services, and the council also plans to take over other routes no longer deemed commercially viable to operators at a cost of £1.4m.

A spokesperson for the county council said: "Further zones covering parts of Ashfield, Broxtowe, Gedling, Newark and Rushcliffe are still being developed, and we look forward to telling residents in these areas more about the services when plans have been finalised."