Joy as village bus routes are saved

A taskforce has saved two critical bus services connecting rural communities from being axed after securing nearly £150,000.

The Save Our Buses group won a bid for £147,000 this week to save two key bus routes connecting several villages, including Garboldisham and Hopton, to Bury St Edmunds.

The two routes, 73 and 73A, which are managed by Diss-based Simonds Buses, were set to be stopped by the end of the month after being deemed financially unviable.

Group chairman Karen Witton said that, although the potential axing had filled many people in the villages with horror, she was delighted the bid had been successful.

“It was challenging to start with because most people want to scream and shout and say it is not fair, and it isn’t, but, at the end of the day, that does not get us a bus service,” she said.

“So much work went into the bids because we knew it would be competitive; we knew there was a limited amount of money available, but we also knew how critical it was.

“To some people, it is the difference between having a job and not having a job; the difference of whether their child can get to school on a reliable basis; and, to others, a case of not feeling cut off and isolated.”

The group, made up of representatives from the affected villages, attracted the attention and support of town, district, and county councillors, as well as Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay.

Despite the success, Ms Witton stressed the money would only run the buses for a year or possibly two.

She said: “It is great news and we are delighted, but the work still goes on because this is a temporary stay of execution. Our plan has always been to make these buses financially sustainable.”

Peter Nathanail, managing director at Transport Made Simple, the company behind Simonds Buses, commended the group.

He added: “Their approach to engaging with us to design a bus service which meets local needs has been the driving force behind this successful funding bid.”