A bus service described by residents of Norton Canes as a “local lifeline” has been cancelled by Arriva after a damning VOSA compliance check on its fleet.
The number 32 bus service, a half-hourly service which connected western Norton Canes to Cannock and Walsall, was withdrawn without warning – with residents only discovering the route had been axed when signs were put up at bus stops saying they were no longer in use.
One resident badly affected by the cut is 20-year-old Lucy Hudson, who has multiple sclerosis and lives with her mum Dawn on Church Vale. They approached Amanda Milling, who is standing as Conservative MP for Cannock Chase in next year’s general election, to launch a campaign to “Bring Back Our Bus”.
Mum Dawn said: “Lucy has to travel into central Cannock most days, so the number 32 bus really was a local lifeline. She now has to walk for over 20 minutes to Millennium Garden to catch a different bus.
“Multiple sclerosis is a largely hidden disability – some days Lucy can feel fine but others it is debilitating. We only moved to Church Vale just a few months back and one of the things we checked was that there was a bus stop nearby so Lucy could get around independently.
“Cutting off the number 32 without warning has been a real setback for her.”
Amanda Milling has been working with current MP Aidan Burley to try and persuade Arriva to reconsider its service to western Norton Canes.
In a recent letter to Mr Burley, Arriva claimed that a recent VOSA compliance inspection raised a number of concerns which “weren’t good for [the] Cannock Depot” and that the firm was awaiting a judgment from the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, who are likely to “take a very dim view of an Operator running services they know to be unachievable with the number of vehicles allocated to them.”
Miss Milling said: “Arriva’s decision is outrageous and shows contempt for the residents of western Norton Canes. The company has admitted running a skeleton fleet of poorly maintained vehicles, which has led to action from VOSA.
“Bus operators in a monopoly situation, as Arriva are in this area, have a moral duty to ensure that they are providing appropriate routes to make sure communities don’t become disconnected. Whilst I accept they may have had difficulties running a dedicated route to western Norton Canes, it is unacceptable to the cut service completely.
“We need Arriva to take another look at this issue and find a solution which doesn’t leave people stranded.”
Mr Burley said: “I fully support this petition calling on Arriva to restore a bus service to my constituents in the western half of Norton Canes.
“I have already written to Arriva urging them to look again at this decision and suggested that if it is not possible to bring back this service completely, at the very least they should look at diverting one of the three buses an hour on route 33 via Church Road and Norton Green Lane as before.
“This would minimise costs for Arriva whilst at the same time ensuring local residents in these areas are not completely cut off.”
Residents can sign the online petition to Bring Back Our Bus at www.bringbackourbus.co.uk or download a poster to display in their window, by clicking the link below.