Fundraising for a Daffodil Line bus service, link Ross-on-Wye, Much Marcle, Newent, Dymock and Ledbury is edging closer towards the £250,000 target.
In a recent post Buses4Us (a community action group set up in response to drastic rural bus service cuts in early 2022) said:
“We are now in the final stages of our Start-Up fundraising for the new 232 Daffodil Line bus service between Ross-on-Wye, Newent, and Ledbury, and we hope to have the service on the road in time for Easter.
“This week we’ve received pledges of financial support from Dymock and Linton Parish councils – thank you!
“Next week it’s the turn of Much Marcle Parish Council to vote on whether to support the new bus service.
“Much Marcle is in a slightly different situation to the rest of us. For all the other communities along the route, the new 232 will replace bus services axed by stagecoach back in February last year.
“Much Marcle hasn’t had a regular bus service for quite some time – which seems crazy considering the size of the village and its location just off an A road.
“When we were doing our trial runs for the new service we found that adding Much Marcle into the route put just 4 minutes onto the journey time and still allowed us to complete the Ross to Ledbury run in under an hour.
“So it seemed like it would be rude not to include Much Marcle in the route.
“We hope that having a regular 7 days a week bus service every 2 hours to Ross, Newent, and Ledbury will be a benefit for people in the village.
“And for the rest of us along the route, having the option of taking the bus to visit Hellens (who have already made an amazing pledge of support), Westons Cider Mill, the country pubs, and walks in the area is going to be a real plus.
“We’ve asked each of the parish councils along the route to consider donating £2 per voter. This is going to be the cost of a return bus fare from a village to the next town. For Much Marcle this would come to £1,140. Fingers crossed they think we’re worth it!
“The council will be debating our proposal at their next meeting on Tuesday 24th. All council meetings are open to the public, so if you’re a local resident why not go along and have your say?
“So thanks again to Linton and Dymock parish councils for your support and watch this space for more news – we expect to be able to confirm a start date and exact timetable for the new service in the next few weeks.”
More information about Buses4Us:
“We are a community action group working for better public transport in North West Gloucestershire and South Herefordshire.
For over 70 years the towns of Ross-on-Wye, Newent and Ledbury, and the surrounding villages, were linked by regular public transport services.
“In February 2022 our transport links were cut with minimal notice. Our bus services had been in place for so long that they were part of the local infrastructure. People relied on them for work, school, shopping and just living their daily lives.
“Though the government has provided large “Bus Improvement” grants to some counties recently, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire have not benefitted, so we can’t rely on our county councils alone to replace our lost bus services.
“At buses4us we believe good public transport is vital for communities and for the climate.
“So we are working to put back proper public transport for our little bit of the world.
“We aim to break the downward spiral of diminishing bus services and diminishing passenger numbers in our communities by raising funds and working with local authorities, businesses and communities to restore the bus service between Newent, Ross on Wye and Ledbury. We aim to have a regular, 7 days a week service, that meets the needs of previous bus users and encourages new passengers to choose the bus over private cars for more journeys.
“We’ll then work to publicise and promote the new route and drive passenger up-take with a clear “Use it or Lose it” message.
“With support from local councils and local businesses, we have successfully arranged a shopper bus service to offer a lifeline to residents in villages left with little or no public transport.
“We are now looking to raise £250,000 to restore the regular bus link between our three towns and we would very much welcome your support.”
