Scene outside the public meeting about the bus service Pic: Michelle Simmons

A bus service running from Bamber Bridge to the city centre is being stopped.

The 150 service currently takes the route through Bamber Bridge, Gregson Lane, Higher Walton and completes its journey at Preston Bus Station.

It will now follow the 113 Wigan bus route. The 150 bus service was reduced last year, and when it ceases on 5 February the bus stop will move to the centre of the Bamber Bridge with no buses running on Sundays.

A meeting to discuss the decision was held on Monday (23 January), at Nets bar in Gregson Lane, and people queued outside due to the quantity of people who attended.

Read more: Here’s how the new Adelphi roundabout is due to work

At the meeting, Stagecoach apologised for not giving the public eight weeks notice regarding the change in service.

Head teachers from Brownedge and Walton le Dale school attended and voiced concerns about children’s safety as the new route will get the children to school at 8am, however they only open at 8.45am so will have no where to go.

Other concerns included the isolation that may arise for the disabled and elderly, along with teenagers loosing their independence because there is no public transport to take them anywhere in the evenings, school and Sundays.

Inside the Gregson Lane meeting Pic: Paula Beazley

Michelle Simmons, 46, who works in an office in the city centre, attended the meeting however couldn’t get in. She said: “My daughter uses the bus to get to and from school,  I would not want her to walk especially in the dark mornings because the route has a lonely stretch and  I would not be happy for her to be hanging around outside school for 45 minutes in the morning.

“We only have 1 car so I sometimes use the bus to get to work, and the new stop is also further from our house.

“I have rheumatoid arthritis most of the time I am well and it is not a problem but on a bad day it just makes things more difficult, so I can understand how difficult it is for the elderly who might have mobility problems.

“I feel really sad and worried –  Sad because my daughters are losing  their freedom, and worried because the service seems to be reducing and one day it could be gone altogether.

“The future is that people who are elderly and disabled will not be able to live out of town because they will loose their independence and become isolated as there will be no public transport.”

Read more: Ingol bus service to go via side routes once again

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “The 150/1 service is a commercial one, so the decision to change it was taken by Stagecoach.

“It’s not subsidised to run on our behalf. It’s simply a commercially-operated service.

“The county council is aware of the changes, including to the 113 service.”

Did you attend the meeting? What do you think about the county council’s decision to cut the bus service? Let us know in the comments below