Petition raised to bring back a 'vital' Nuneaton bus service

[dutchman]

A petition has been raised after a bus service described as a ‘vital lifeline for the elderly’ was discontinued.

Furious residents have joined together to voice their concerns after the Number 4 Stagecoach circular service to Nuneaton was removed.

The service travelled from Nuneaton Bus Station via Hinckley Road, Camborne Drive, Horeston Grange, Tiverton Drive and back to the bus station.

Although Stagecoach has extended the Number 55 service to cover some of this, residents in Tiverton Drive and the surrounding streets have been left without a service, with some residents no longer being able to walk to their nearest bus stop in Hinckley Road.

Knowing how much this would affect her neighbours, Tiverton Drive resident Beverley Lewis set up a petition and within weeks 288 residents came forward to sign it.

She also contacted Stagecoach numerous times to put forward her concerns, but has not yet received a reply.

“I started up the petition because of the amount of elderly people that use the bus – it’s taken a lifeline away from them,” said Mrs Lewis.

“People rely on that bus but no they’ve taken it away with hardly any warning. All of the people who have signed the petition are really angry – Stagecoach have just cut out Tiverton Drive completely.

“It was a well used bus route so we don’t know why they’ve taken it away.”

Mrs Lewis was joined in her fight by neighbour Judy Gardner, and the pair even placed signs around the area making residents aware of the petition.

“It’s a long walk to the main road, and it’s not just people in Tiverton Drive who are affected – it’s all of the people who are in the closes off the street,” said Mrs Gardner, aged 68.

“I have arthritis and can’t walk that far.”

Other residents who will no longer be able to walk to their nearest bus stop are 88-year-old Dee Bull and 89-year-old Mollie Jarvis who say the only way they will be able to get into town is pay £10 for a return taxi trip, which neither of them can afford.

“We feel like they’re selling us down the river and everyone we’ve seen have signed the petition. Even people who can walk now might not be able to walk all that way when it’s snowing or raining,” said Mrs Bull.

All of the women feel they have been victimised as although Tiverton Drive runs parallel to Hinckley Road – there is no short cut to the street.

They now intend on handing the petition over to Stagecoach to show them how valuable the service is.

A spokesman for Stagecoach said: “The changes which Stagecoach implemented at the beginning of September were part of a package of improvements for residents in Nuneaton which included amongst others, links from Horeston Grange & St Nicolas Park Drive to George Eliot Hospital, better bus services for those studying at North Warwickshire and Hinckley Campuses (Nuneaton and Hinckley) and a reinstatement of a 30 minutes frequency along Carrisbroke Road on route 3.

“While we appreciate that the changes will mean that residents along Tiverton Dive will need to now catch their bus along Hinckley Road which is not as convenient, the overall package of improvements, benefit a far greater number of residents living in the Nunetaon area than it disbenefits.

“With any service change, even where the vast majority of passengers benefit there will inevitably by a minority who are inconvenienced.

“The diversion along Tiverton Drive was previously financially supported by Warwickshire County Council and is not a commercial section of route.”