Under threat bus routes are temporarily saved

Worried village residents have had key bus services temporarily saved by a county council amid plans to axe routes.

It followed an announcement by Simonds Buses that services between Diss and Bury St Edmunds would be cut due to economic viability.

However, Suffolk County Council said it would use government funding to ensure the 337 and 338 routes would remain until 27 December.

"Rural routes like these are not just a business, they are a vital public service," Green councillor Richard Winch said.

The county council said it would continue to look for a long-term solution until the December deadline.

Simonds Buses has been approached for comment.

Lisa Kelly, who lives in Badwell Ash, said she was concerned about how her 16-year-old daughter would get to college if the bus service was cut.

"I can’t physically get her to college and if she doesn’t go, I get fined because she’s not going and who’s going to have to pay that fine?" she said.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, added: "I’m really concerned about young families that live in the village, or children whose parents do not drive."

Fears were also raised by those living in Walsham le Willows and Bardwell.

The intervention from the county council came after pressure from Green Party MP for Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsey, and local councillors.

Chris Chambers, a Conservative county councillor who deals with transport strategy, said the council would use the last of its bus recovery funding as a lifeline to the 337 and 338 bus routes.

"We recognise that some people in rural communities rely on these services so they can get from A to B," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But he urged residents to use the bus service as "the county council cannot sustain routes which make a loss".

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