Matlock bus service gets six-month lifeline after councils get on board

Last month, High Peak Buses announced that almost all journeys on the Transpeak service from Matlock to Derby would end from July 10, along with cuts in the opposite direction to Buxton, causing outcry from those who relied on the service.

But parent company Centrebus struck a last minute deal with Derby City and Derbyshire Councils to keep timetables as they were until the end of 2022, in the hope that passenger numbers can recover to pre-Covid levels.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We made Derby City and Derbyshire aware that we could not continue service as it is and both councils explored options to help finance the service.

“Following an impact assessment, we are pleased to announce that financial support has been agreed and we are able to continue operating the Transpeak service between Derby and Buxton.”

The Transpeak previously ran on a purely commercial basis, with no public money, but the operator had argued that rising costs and low usage made it unviable.

The level of public subsidy has yet to be revealed, but Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, the county’s cabinet member for transport, insisted it would be a price worth paying.

He said: “Nationally bus-use levels remain down on pre-pandemic levels and Derbyshire is no exception. The Transpeak route is an important one, connecting Derby and Buxton and without it several communities would be left with a much-reduced service.

“We’ve had detailed and ongoing discussions with the operator and are pleased to give them the opportunity for passenger numbers to further improve. We want to ensure that bus users in the area can continue to rely on the service and have access to work and school.”

He added: “I want to take this opportunity to encourage residents across Derbyshire to get back to using buses across the county.

“Our local operators have been working hard to keep buses clean and safe throughout the pandemic and are keen to encourage passengers both old and new to make more use of the counties’ bus services.”