Warwickshire County Council steps in to fund at risk bus services

Following changes and reductions announced by Stagecoach over the last few months, Warwickshire County Council is taking over the funding of non-statutory bus services in Warwick, Nuneaton and Rugby.
Stagecoach's cuts to service around Warwickshire are due to start in early January.Stagecoach's cuts to service around Warwickshire are due to start in early January.
Stagecoach's cuts to service around Warwickshire are due to start in early January.

Stagecoach announced in October they would be closing some of their commercially-operated, non-subsidised bus services due to falling passenger numbers and economic unviability.

In order to maintain the public transport links in affected communities, the council has designed and tendered replacement services, which will be in place from January 5 2019. Some of the funding for these previously non-subsidised services has been generated by Section 106 agreements from housing developments across the county.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The replacement services mirror the current level of usage and will retain journeys to places of work and study at key times.

Cllr Jeff Clarke, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Highways, said: “I am really pleased we have been able to secure the funding for and redesign these important services to make sure our communities are not left without the public transport links that many depend on.

“Thanks to the hard work of the officers involved in overseeing the tendering process, our residents will be able to start using our new bus service as soon as Stagecoach withdraws in early January.”

Here is a list of the new Warwickshire County Council services for the Warwick district and Stratford district:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Stagecoach are due to withdrawn service 64 which runs between Rugby, Southam and Leamington but a new Warwickshire County Council tendered service 664 will operate from Southam to Leamington via Long Itchington, Offchurch, Cubbington and Lillington.

This service will be operated by Stagecoach.

A new Warwickshire County Council tendered service 664 operating between Southam and Leamington will serve Pound Lane and Lillington Road.

the Stagecoach Service 68 from Hatton Park calling at Hampton Magna, Leamington and Cubbington and the service X68 from Coventry calling at Kenilworth, Leamington and Cubbington are due to be withdrawn.

But a new Warwickshire County Council tendered service 16 will operate from Hatton Park to Kenilworth via Hampton Magna, Chase Meadow, Warwick, Warwick Hospital and Leek Wootton.

Full details of the bus changes can be found by click here