"There's been more twists and turns on this one than on a helter-skelter" was the comment of one senior officer at Cumbria County Council that the Bus Users' Group contacted for confirmation of changes to the proposed replacement for Stagecoach services 530 and 552 that are being withdrawn from this weekend.
As we posted on Monday, (read again here) local campaigners had succeeded in getting a partial replacement services on three days a week that would link Arnside and Levens with Kendal, whilst leaving other villages on the two routes unserved. The operator was to be Carnforth-based coach operator, Travellers Choice.
Now, following a further intervention by local MP, Tim Farron, the route of the new service is amended to take in Sedgwick and Natland (but not Hincaster, which apparently has only produced one passenger in the last seventeen weeks of six-day-a-week operation!). Westmorland General Hospital, on the outskirts of Kendal, will also be served on request by the inward journey and on all return journeys. The service will now be provided by Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire, which is associated with Travellers Choice.
The last-minute changes put the proposed start date in jeopardy and authorisation from the Traffic Commissioners was only received on Friday, 15th November to allow the service to start the following Monday.
The new revised timetable can be seen via this link.
Community Wheels
In an unrelated move, a new community bus service now provides an additional link between Arnside and Milnthorpe on Fridays. Operated by Arnside Community Transport a minibus, provided by Cumbria County Council, leaves Arnside on Friday mornings for Milnthorpe allowing passengers to visit the market. The service is also timed to connect with bus service 555 onward to Kendal.
Journeys have to be booked in advance and payment can only be made by means of a smart card that is available to "members" of the scheme. Concessionary passes are not accepted. Details of the scheme are available via this link
The service has taken almost two years to bring into operation and it was originally intended as a supplement to the then Stagecoach service rather than a replacement. It operates on Fridays primarily for Milnthorpe market and it is just unfortunate that that is now of the three days in the week when the Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire service also runs. It is not clear what other work the minibus undertakes.
Cartmel and Service 530
The BUG understands that an attempt to provide a replacement service between Cartmel, Cark, Flookburgh, Allithwaite and Kendal, to replace Stagecoach service 530, was rejected by the Traffic Commissioner as the proposal involved the withdrawal of journeys on the existing Travellers Choice service between Carmel and Grange to free up a vehicle. The Commissioner was not happy to allow these journeys to be withdrawn at short notice and therefore a full-notice application has been made to allow a service to start in December. The villages served by the 530 have alternative services to Grange or, in some cases, to Kendal on service X6 and only Levens was in danger of being cut off completely, hence the diversion of the new 552 that way.
No doubt local people are grateful for Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire stepping in to maintain a service, and to Tim Farron MP for taking the initiative to bring it into being, but the BUG can't help but think it would be a lot easier all round if Cumbria County Council would just accept its responsibilities and find some money to support its rural bus services.
