Uttoxeter’s Member of Parliament, Kate Griffiths, is continuing to back residents’ concerns around proposed changes to local bus routes 401 and 406 which would see them terminated from 1st September 2022.
Ms Griffiths has written to the bus operator Midland Classic, and most recently to Staffordshire County Council who commission bus routes across the county, to highlight how vital these bus routes are to her residents in rural areas and to see if a compromise can be reached to ensure that they are not lost.
Midlands Classic have stated that the 406 route is seeing only 60% of the passengers it had pre-pandemic and with increased fuel and wage costs this is making the route unviable.
However, Ms Griffiths has urged the County Council and Midlands Classic to reconsider the proposed termination and work together to find a comprise which will allow the important local routes to continue and not leave residents in rural areas isolated.
Last year, Staffordshire County Council was successful in bidding for funding from the Government’s Rural Mobility Fund as part of its Bus Back Better strategy to improve bus services outside of London.
Commenting, Kate Griffiths MP said:
“Buses are the backbone of the UK’s public transport network, being used for twice as many journeys as trains and often used by those who have no other means of getting out and about.
“It is vital that local bus routes serve the needs of the people who rely on these services which is why I have raised concerns with both Midland Classic and Staffordshire County Council about the possible termination of these services.
“The Government has committed to levelling-up bus services, through the National Bus Strategy, and I would urge the local authorities to work with the Department for Transport to ensure they have the resources they need to deliver the transport services my constituents rely on.”
