Derbyshire Dales to Sheffield bus service expands thanks to council funding

Starting on Saturday, May 27, the Stagecoach X17 service from Matlock bus station to Chesterfield and Sheffield will begin running roughly every 30 minutes, rather than the previous hourly departures, with every other journey also being extended onto Matlock Bath, Cromford and Wirksworth.

The increased frequency is being supported by the council via the £47million it received last year from central Government to improve bus services in the county.

Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, cabinet member for highways assets and transport, said: “This is great news for everyone who currently uses bus services, and we hope will tempt more people to give the bus a go.

“These improvements with the X17 service are in response to people asking for more services so we are confident they will be used.”

He added: “Using the bus can be a real alternative to using the car for every journey, and for many in the county they are their only form of transport.”

From Monday to Friday, the earliest departures from Matlock will be at 6.04am, 6.28am, and 7.16am, with the first Wirksworth departure leaving at 7.21am and calling at Matlock at 7.54am.

The half-hourly service will then run from Matlock at 8.35am through to 6.26pm, with hourly departures from Wirksworth from 8.32am through to 6.56pm. Three later departures run from Matlock only, with the latest at 11.11pm.

Saturday’s timetable follows a similar pattern while on Sundays the service will run hourly only throughout peak hours, starting from Wirksworth.

In the opposite direction services will depart alternately from Barnsley Interchange, calling at Meadowhall, and Sheffield interchange.

There are some minor variations to departure and arrival times, but passengers can check timetables before travelling at https://bit.ly/3IoVMOt.

Welcoming the announcement, transport minister Richard Holden said: “People up and down the country deserve a modern, reliable, and affordable public transport system. That is why we have provided Derbyshire County Council with £47m to boost its bus services.

“Supporting all bus operators in Derbyshire with increasing the frequency of the X17 service is great for local residents, who will now benefit and be able to make the most of the fantastic work, business and leisure opportunities Derbyshire has to offer.”

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