Derbyshire bus provider trentbarton axes services on three routes

The 1A bus – which connects Aldercar, Heanor, Waingroves and Ripley – will no longer run. The Spondon flyer is also being withdrawn, impacting those travelling to and from Derby. The 27 route, which includes Ilkeston, will continue in its current form, but will instead be operated by Notts & Derby Buses.

The company said that all the affected services have been losing money since the first Covid lockdown, with some failing to break even before the pandemic, and have not recovered since.

In addition, there will also be a reduction in frequency to every 10 minutes on the Allestree and the Mickleover routes from September 4.

The changes are being made as trentbarton carries out the full network review required by the Department for Transport. The region’s local authorities are working with all public transport operators to match resources with projected usage.

The drivers currently engaged on these affected routes will all be redeployed to other services, which will ease the recent disruption to the timetables due to the industry-wide shortage of drivers.

Jeff Counsell, trentbarton’s managing director, said: “We are very sorry indeed that we must make these changes but in order to continue to deliver our other services we cannot afford to absorb the losses made by these routes, which simply do not carry sufficient customers.

“The routes affected had been struggling before Covid and have not seen the bounce back in numbers that other services have seen. The Government has been supporting the bus industry since the pandemic hit but this help ends this autumn.

“The silver lining in what was a very difficult decision is the extra drivers we can put onto our other services which will mean much fewer cancellations and a significantly improved reliability.

“The changes will enable us to run more services, more frequently, on the journeys that most people need, growing customer numbers and making them more sustainable.

“We are talking to the local authorities and other operators to see if they can support any of the affected routes. Some customers will also be able to access other trentbarton services and those of other operators.”

READ THIS: Derbyshire’s rural police slam cyclists who ignored rules to ride on protected Peak District site before abusing landowner

Alternative services for those who used the 1A include trentbarton’s rainbow one and amberline. Derbyshire Community Transport has added some Derby Shopper journeys for Waingroves, and the Derbyshire County Council-supported 137/138 now covers Langley Mill.

Jeff said: “We apologise to all our customers who will be affected. Running buses is what trentbarton exists to do, so to cancel routes is always done with a heavy heart and when there is absolutely no other option.”