Burgh Castle bus cuts anger
A BUS boss was quizzed this week over service cuts between Burgh Castle and Great Yarmouth.Residents raised concerns over the changes that will see the number of buses halved and a direct link with Gorleston town centre ended.
A BUS boss was quizzed this week over service cuts between Burgh Castle and Great Yarmouth.
Residents raised concerns over the changes that will see the number of buses halved and a direct link with Gorleston town centre ended.
The new timetable, due to be introduced this weekend, will also mean the end of Sunday and evening services in the village.
From Sunday, First East Counties' twice-hourly 7 service will run direct from Belton to Gorleston, by-passing Burgh Castle and north Bradwell.
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Instead, a new number 5 service will operate hourly, Monday to Saturday, between the villages and Great Yarmouth.
First's Ian Rankin was urged to review the changes at Monday's Burgh Castle parish council meeting.
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Ward county councillor Trevor Wainwright said that many passengers would have to use two buses to get to the nearest change point for Gorleston at the Rainbow supermarket.
Mr Wainwright was among those at the meeting criticising First for not consulting with residents and councillors over the changes.
He asked Mr Rankin to consider the option of running one bus hourly from Belton on the quicker New Road route to Yarmouth and another on the existing route around Burgh Castle and Gorleston.
First claims not enough passengers are using the bus to maintain the current service.
Sunday and evening services have been withdrawn with the agreement of Norfolk County Council, which subsidises the service.
Regular passenger Maureen Grey said there were many more users in Burgh Castle than the company realised as tickets had, until the last two weeks, showed the boarding point at the last stage stop in Belton.
A wad of tickets issued in the village were given to Mr Rankin to support the case.
Borough councillor Barry Stone said the Yarmouth area had the oldest First Bus fleet in the country and asked when it would cease to be “a dumping ground for old buses from Hong Kong”.
From Sunday, passengers travelling from Burgh Castle to Gorleston will need to change buses at Burgh Road, Bradwell to Gorleston High Street or Alpha Road, Gorleston to the James Paget University Hospital.
