Axe for evening buses in Leamington

[dutchman]

A Host of evening bus services will be axed from Monday (July 4) across Warwick and Leamington after council subsidies to many routes were slashed.



As we revealed in March, all Warwickshire County Council subsidies for evening bus services in Warwick, Whitnash and Southam are being cut, and evening subsidies in Leamington severely reduced, after the government's grant to the county council - for subsidising many bus routes in the area - was slashed almost in half from £3 million to £1.65 million.

Stagecoach will provide some evening services on Fridays and Saturdays only on a commercial basis - initially for a six-month trial.

The evening routes axed - except for Fridays and Saturdays - include the G1 between Whitnash, Leamington and Warwick, the 18A between Leamington, Warwick and Stratford, the 67 between Lillington, Leamington and Sydenham and the 64 between Leamington, Southam and Rugby.

Some Sunday services have also been cut.

Warwickshire County Council economy spokesman Coun Peter Butlin, said: “As a council we have to deal sensibly with the significant reduction in budget that faces us. We have to make revisions to the passenger transport network to ensure that the level of financially supported local bus services remains within the budget that we can afford.

“While it is very disappointing that we have had to remove subsidies for evening bus services, we are glad that Stagecoach has decided that it can continue to offer some evening services on a commercial basis, at least for a trial period of six months.”

Further details of the revised bus services visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/busservicechanges