Passengers using a South Holland bus service are facing long waits as it’s been cut to run every other hour.
The Stagecoach East number 37 route between Spalding and Peterborough, which stops in Crowland and Cowbit, is now on a reduced timetable.
Passengers had initially thought the Sunday service had been cut altogether, but the bus company says that was a timetable published in error, and four journeys in each direction will take place.
The service change is one of many made by Stagecoach East which announced it would be ending 18 services.
While the 37 service will continue, the only bus before 9am gets into Spalding at 6.58am.
Crowland resident Rodney Sadd has a family member who relies on the bus to get to work in Spalding for 9am, but now faces a two-hour wait every morning in town.
“There’s more houses and people in Crowland but less public transport,” he said. “Yes, the bus companies have been hit by COVID, but surely their usage is coming back.
“What gets me is they’ve had cash from the authorities for running services, but have drastically reduced them.”
A spokesman for Stagecoach East said: “Following our network review, which we were required to do as part of the Government’s post-pandemic recovery funding arrangements, the 37 service will be moving to a two-hourly frequency from Monday to Saturday and will continue to operate on Sundays (with four journeys in each direction).
“The Sunday timetable for this route had an error on the website, and this has now been rectified.
“We care about our customers and sympathise with those people who will be impacted by the changes ahead.
“Unfortunately, running a traditional fixed route bus service is no longer a financially viable solution for some rural areas.
“But there is a need for a long term, sustainable solution for these rural communities.
“Stagecoach alone cannot deliver solutions to the challenges involved or save the bus routes at risk.
“That is why we are calling for a rural connectivity summit, to bring together all the key stakeholders, including local authorities and bus operators, to have an open and honest debate about the financial realities and what innovative solutions may be possible for the longer-term future of rural bus services.”
