Leighton Buzzard councillors join growing bus row

Residents have said they were not properly consulted on the changes

Independents in Touch with Leighton Linslade are holding a public meeting on Friday as part of its ‘Fight Back Against the Bus Cuts’ campaign.

A spokesman for the group said: “This public meeting is called by the residents in Leighton Linslade south and north who will be losing the bus services to areas of our community.

"Central Beds transport and planning officers, the newly elected councillors and Arriva, have all been invited. There will be a question and answer session followed by the presenting of a petition from local residents for the bus services to be reinstated. This will be one of a series of meetings to be held across Leighton Linslade in the coming weeks.”

The row over bus changes has been rumbling since last month when a new timetable was introduced.

Arriva said the new bus services will provide expanded links to all parts of the town, providing links to the town centre, the railway station and other key destinations.

But residents 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.

Cllr Tracey Wye, the new Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience attended a public meeting last month on the issue, and is encouraging people to email [email protected] explaining their circumstances.

She said: "Central Bedfordshire Council acknowledges by creating a more extensive bus network, parts of the former routes are no longer served, and this has created problems for some residents.

"Once the council has received feedback from all three public meetings, we can review the services and, where appropriate and possible, seek to make improvements."

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesperson said: “On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, a new bus service operated by Arriva was introduced to Leighton Buzzard for residents to hop-on and off buses for free until Christmas.

“The new routes are more extensive than before, running later into the evening and on Sundays. We apologise to any residents who did not feel adequately informed of the new service and for any disruption this may have caused.”

The meeting is being held at the Leighton Buzzard Royal British Legion on West Street on June 23 from 3.30pm.