Call for 'lifeline' buses to return to high street

A campaign has launched calling for buses to return to a high street in a Leicestershire village.

Residents in Ibstock want their sole bus service - Arriva's 15 from the village to Coalville and Ravenstone - to return to the route it took before timetable changes in 2022.

They say people with mobility problems such as elderly residents cannot now access essential services like the doctors' surgery, dentist or post office.

But Arriva said High Street cannot be served due to a sharp bend which makes the previous route unsafe.

Ibstock resident Kirsty Hancock, who has organised the online side of the campaign, said the 15 was "a lifeline for many".

She added: "The bus no longer travels along the High Street, affecting those who cannot walk long distances, and depriving them of their independence.

"It has become a struggle for the elderly and disabled members of our community who need access to the local GP surgery and other essential services."

A spokesperson for Arriva said: "We made a crucial change to service 15's route in 2022 to avoid a well-known bend near Holmdale Manor Nursery School because everyone's safety is our top priority.

"The route now calls on Melbourne Road, 150 yards from the surgery.

"We are always open to listening to our customer's feedback on our routes but people's safety will always be our chief objective."

A petition has been set up calling for the return of the service to High Street.

Some villagers feel they are poorly served by public transport.

William Harrison, who is in his 70s, said: "I think most people are unhappy with the bus service because it comes on every hour and it doesn't come down the High Street anymore.

"It goes to the top end, and for pensioners especially, the doctors are right down the bottom. They've got a long, long walk.

"The last bus is around five o'clock, so if I go for a game of snooker or something, you have to pay for a taxi to come all the way back."

Adele Gilbey, 54, lives near the village and said people in the area rely on their cars.

She added: "I've got some elderly clients and they've said that the bus service that took them to Hinckley has stopped.

"It had been a lifeline for a lot of people."

Peter Cawte, 60, said public transport locally was "rubbish".

He added: "Ever since it came off the High Street, anybody that needs to get to the bus because they don't drive, they've got to walk all the way up the hill to Melbourne Road to it.

"It's cut a lot of people off, it's cut the High Street off.

"The High Street doesn't get people down it now. When the buses dropped down here, they would use the post office or they'd use the cafes or wherever, but now it's starting to die a little bit."

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