Angry residents launch petition to fight changes to Leighton-Linslade bus services

Angry residents have launched a petition to fight changes to Leighton-Linslade bus services which they claim are a major blow to many in the community.

The petition will be presented to Central Beds councillors and Arriva at a public meeting on May 31.

The network of local bus services launched on May 9 includes new routes L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 & L6 replacing the existing 32, 33, 34, 35, 36C and D1 service.

Arriva says the new bus services will provide expanded links to all parts of the town, with the Clipstone Park, Chamberlains Barn and Roman Gate developments being served for the first time, proving links to the town centre, the railway station and other key destinations.

The new bus services will also provide hourly journeys from early morning into the evening and some routes will also run on Sundays.

But residents are ‘outraged’ and claim they were not consulted over the changes and that many elderly, disabled and other commuters who use buses as a lifeline, will be left isolated with no public transport.

June Tobin, Leighton-Linslade Helpers secretary who stood unsuccessfully in the local elections as a Central Beds Council independent candidate, said: “So the upshot is, we as a town are losing the following buses; 32, 33, 34, 35, and the D1. These decisions were made behind closed doors at CBC.

"So your council had a choice when Arriva said they were cutting bus services to our town. They decided not to allocate 106 money to keep our elderly, sick, disabled, families with young children, workers moving easily.

"Instead it was suggested that those members of our community affected by the cuts, (which they called amendments) should use the Buzzer Bus Service; a charity, picking up the pieces that our local authority should be providing.

"The Buzzer Bus charity is a great initiative, but it requires a £10 membership and a fare charged for each use. This simply isn't good enough from our councillors and CBC. They implemented these cuts, without consultation and without considering the rural hardship impact this will have on our community.

"We will also look to get paper petitions to the other areas affected by these cuts, Chelsea Green, Highfield Road, Russell Way. We must fight this. The residents of Leighton Buzzard continue to be overlooked and its time it stopped.”

And residents were also quick to voice their anger on social media.

Nikki John posted to the LBO’s Facebook page: “Only new bus routes are to the new development Clipstone Park. All other routes have been slashed or severed completely which leave the elderly, imobile, sick, and many many more isolated, unable to get out to shop, doctors, medicines etc. The local and beds council/ councillors are spouting new/ improved. How? This town has nothing to offer any more not even a bus service.”

And Karen Golder added: “Absolute shambles! No timetables depicting where Meadow Way customers to get bus or the times… disgusting service from CBC to drop previous bus routes

Another woman said on social media: “I am sure the people on Meadow Way, and all the other roads who have lost their bus service will not agree. To be told to use the Buzzer Bus is a joke. It is for elderly people and you have to book in advance.”

And another commented: “Well this means I can’t use the bus to take the kids to school! I either leave at 7.20am or 8.05am and arrive half hour after they start. Absolutely flipping disaster!”

The bus services will be operated by Arriva, on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council, and are being funded largely by Section 106 developer contributions.

The services will be free to use until Christmas 2023 to encourage passengers to sample the new routes.

Thanks to funding received from the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve bus services across Central Bedfordshire, all passengers will also be able to travel for free on the Arriva routes 150, F70 and F77 within the Leighton Town Zone until Christmas. Fares to and from destinations outside the Leighton Town Zone will continue to be charged as normal, although these are currently capped at £2, under the fare cap promotion funded by the government as part of its Help for Households campaign.

In a statement Arriva said: “We’re introducing a fleet of high specification, ultra low-emission buses which are fully accessible and packed with great on-board features such as next stop announcements, USB charging and free WiFi. And, as usual, our friendly team of local drivers will be ready to welcome you on board.”

The public meeting will be held at Meadow Way Community Centre at 7.30pm on Wednesday, May 31.

Responding to the criticism, a spokesman for Central Beds Council said: “On Tuesday 9 May, in partnership with operator Arriva, a new bus network was introduced for Leighton Buzzard residents, enabling passengers to get on and off buses until Christmas 2023 for free. Drawing on Section 106 developer contribution money, the new services provide a wholly new timetable and improved buses and revised routes.

“We understand change can be unsettling and we have worked hard with Arriva, housing developers and the Town Council to ensure the new routes cover as many areas of the town as is possible, including new developments, where residents have been without any bus services. The services run later and for longer, extending into the evening and weekends, including Sundays. The new services also connect with train services. We have worked hard to make sure the new services meet the needs of passengers and where some services on particular roads have not been retained, the new stops are within a short walk.

"We encourage everyone to get behind the services and to take this opportunity to get back into using bus services regularly. This way we can safeguard services by increasing passenger numbers which need to bounce back beyond pre-pandemic levels.

“Over the next six months we will be monitoring the services closely to see how they are performing. Feedback and suggestions are welcomed. Across the country, many towns are faced with losing their local services, with low passenger numbers making services unviable for operators. The aim for this new service is to help create a cleaner, greener and less congested town.

“Timetable booklets are being delivered to every household in the town. For further information on how to plan a journey, download a map of the network of services and a printable guide, please visit the Arriva website: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk.”

How have the changes affected you? Email [email protected]