A number of bus services in and passing through Preston are to be saved from the axe.
Advertisement113 routes were due to be withdrawn from early April but Lancashire County Council says 68 of the routes across the county have a future.
Funding for subsidising bus routes is still to fall by £5m, with the county council deciding to spend £2m on propping up many routes in more rural areas.
Bus companies are stepping in to run 40 routes on a commercial basis, and many routes are to see timetables change.
1 – Park and ride
The park and ride to Portway and Walton-le-Dale is to continue a ‘frequent service’, but will receive no subsidy from the county council.
2A – Preston – Ormskirk
Stagecoach has stepped in to run the service during the daytime Monday to Saturday
4 – Preston – Longridge
Stagecoach are continuing to operate the service, the Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening service is being withdrawn. It will go to Chipping during peak-time journeys.
12 – Preston – Longton
Preston Bus has struck a deal with Longton Parish Council for funding a Monday to Saturday service, although it no longer calls at Broadgate
12A – Preston – Ormskirk
The service is being withdrawn on Monday to Saturday evenings, and will no longer run on Sundays
13/13A – Preston – Penwortham
LCC has decided to subsidise this route during Monday to Saturday daytime, with a bus an hour. It will now operate between Preston and Penwortham Hill Rd South via Kingsway, Manor Lane, Central Avenue, Millbrook Way (past Booths).
14 – Preston to Holme Slack
The service is being withdrawn on Monday to Saturday evenings, and will no longer run on Sundays
40 – Lancaster – Preston
Stagecoach has committed to operating the ‘odd day subsidised journey’ within its timetable
61 – Preston – Blackpool (Peel Corner Diversion)
Running daily during the daytime, Stagecoach have committed to running it as a commercial service
68 – Preston – Blackpool
To be operated by Stagecoach instead of Preston Bus, with Sunday evenings no longer running and just running Monday to Thursday evenings
80 – Preston – Myerscough
The service will be subsidised to run during Monday to Saturday daytime. A revised route is to be used so it doesn’t duplicate with a revised commercial serbvice in Ashton. It will go via Riversway and Lea Road.
109 – Preston – Chorley
The last bus on all weekday evenings and a Sunday are being withdrawn, Stagecoach say the final bus will be around 10pm.
112 – Preston – Croston
During Monday to Saturday daytimes a revised service is running between Preston and Sainsburys in Bamber Bridge, maintaining a link via Frenchwood through Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge side roads to the town centre and the supermarket
113 – Preston – Wigan
Late evening journeys are being withdrawn, Stagecoach is taking over early evening journeys on Monday to Saturday from Preston Bus. Early morning journeys are being operated by Stagecoach on a commercial basis.
114 – Preston – Chorley
The route is being merged with part of the 112 service linking Leyland with Walton Summit and Clayton Brook. It will continue to run daily during the daytime.
114 – Preston – Bamber Bridge
This service is being withdrawn on Monday to Saturday evenings, and on Sundays
115 – Preston – Chorley
This service, which runs on Saturday daytimes, is being withdrawn
150 – Preston – Bamber Bridge
No service after 7.30pm and Stagecoach are withdrawing the Sunday service
151 – Preston – Bamber Bridge, via Hoghton
Stagecoach will continue to operate Monday to Saturday daytime journeys
152 – Preston – Burnley
Sunday evening service is being withdrawn by Transdev
180/280/X80 – Skipton – Preston
County council subsidy stepping in to see it run every two hours during Monday to Saturday daytime. The route between Clitheroe and Skipton being standardised through Barnoldswick
217 – Preston – Mellor
The serice, which used to run on Wednesday and Friday, is being withdrawn
County councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Following the decision by government to cut hundreds of millions of pounds of funding to Lancashire County Council we have been forced to reduce our current funding for buses from around £7m to £2m.
“This has been a very difficult process that the all-party working group has had to get to grips with, to make the best of a bad situation. I’m very pleased to accept the working group’s recommendation to fund these bus services which will mean most areas of the county will continue to receive regular public transport.
“Some of these services will not operate as often as they do at the moment, but the new timetables will ensure there is a bus at peak times when people would most need them to access employment and education, and enough services to allow people to make vital appointments such as visiting the doctor’s.
“There has been a positive response from the bus companies in continuing to operate 40 services commercially, and the decisions I have made today to invest £2m to support a further 28 services, mean that most areas will continue to be served by a bus after April.
“We do recognise that despite this some areas will see major changes including the loss of their only service. But the work we are undertaking does not stop here. Not only are we providing the £2m revenue funding, we’re also providing a further £1m capital funding for new services through the Parish Based Partnership. At the same time we’re maintaining the NoWcard fully and securing 3 years’ sustainable funding for community transport, which supports those requiring a door-to-door service.
“I’d encourage people to help us to maintain these buses by using them regularly. I hesitate to use the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ but it’s clear that the best way to keep these buses is to use them.”
The withdrawn services stop from Sunday 3 April.
Some changes to timetables and routes are happening quicker than this. There will be signage at bus stops and in buses to inform passengers of these.
A list of what’s happening to every service across Lancashire can be found on the county council website. Some services are completely unaffected.
The Orbit bus route, which Preston Bus has announced is to be scrapped, was not subsidised by the county council so doesn’t feature above.
How do the changes affect you? Do you use any of these bus services? Let us know in the comments below