Changes to a town bus service’s route have been described by a pensioner who relies on the bus as “punishing the elderly”.
From Christmas Eve, the Brylaine (F42) IT1&2 services that serve Spalding town will see a section of the route cut when former bus stops at Thames Road and Severn Road are axed.
The two bus stops were on a loop route that detoured from Queens Road.
In a statement on its website, bus operators Brylaine said: “In view of the issues we continually encounter with onstreet parking, a decision has been taken to remove the service from Thames Road and Monkhouse Lane (alternative route Hannam Boulevard).
“Passengers can board respectively at Acacia Avenue.”
However, Sanda Ainley, a pensioner with limited mobility who lives on Thames Road, said she feels the bus company hasn’t done enough to try to change the situation and feels the route being cut will mean she can’t go into town.
“I can quite understand where they’re coming from but why don’t they ask the county council to put parking restrictions on the road?”
The county council said Brylaine haven’t raised the issue but had written to confirm the route changes.
Mrs Ainley doesn’t drive and said she has spoken to a lot of neighbours who all rely on the service and will now either face a long walk to the next bus stop or be forced to stay indoors.
“I think it’s disgusting,” Mrs Ainley said. “They’re punishing elderly people.”
The statement from Brylaine said the cuts were made in an effort to return the service to a half-hourly route.
From Christmas Eve, the service will run from 7.45am to 3.25pm.
* A number of other bus services and routes will be changed or cancelled in the new year. These include:
Revised times and cut services – Brylaine B13 Boston to Spalding; Brylaine K59 – Boston to Spalding.
Cancelled – Shaws 100 Spalding to Market Deeping cancelled, replaced by Delaine 203 Spalding to Stamford; Stagecoach X55 service cancelled; K59 Spalding to
Donnington, cancelled (last bus from Spalding on K59 leaves at 5.15pm.
See https://lincsbus.info/january-local-bus-update for the new timetables.
Brylaine has asked the public for support “to ensure everyone is made aware [of the changes], especially the young, elderly, infirm or those with disabilities.
