Hospital shuttle bus saved but no longer free

A shuttle bus service between hospitals which was set to be axed due to costs will now continue to run but will no longer be free.

The bus has been transporting staff, patients and visitors between hospitals in Blackburn, Burnley and Pendle since 2007.

An Oswaldtwistle bus company has submitted papers to register the route after the NHS trust said it could no longer afford to subsidise it.

Moving People Bus and Coach Services said it has to make the route, which will begin operating on 1 April, "commercially viable".

The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said in January it could no longer afford the annual £780,000 operating costs.

A petition against ending the shuttle bus garnered more than 15,000 signatures.

Burnley MP Oliver Ryan said the public reaction was "immediate and very clear" and that people "value the service and were prepared to fight for it".

He previously told the BBC that people had contacted him to say they would even welcome a paid-for service.

"I'd like a free bus, but no-one is knocking on my door saying they have £800,000 to run this," he added.

Glen Chamberlain, managing director of Moving People, said "This will be a commercial service with a charge in place for passengers and run independently and without subsidy from the hospital trust.

"In the coming weeks we will be sharing the exact stops and timetable and I want to urge people who are currently using the bus to continue using it."

Ryan said: "This is a brilliant outcome for people power and all of the passengers who use the shuttle bus service.

"It's great that this has been delivered so quickly to ensure there is no disruption to existing travel arrangements and passengers can continue to get to where they need to go."

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