Residents upset as village bus service scrapped

Residents in a village in Derbyshire say they are upset after their only bus service was scrapped.

The number 55 bus, which ran through Morton, was altered after operator Hulleys of Baslow ceased trading.

The service was taken over by Notts & Derby, which said Morton was taken off the route due to necessary cost-cutting.

Derbyshire County Council, which provides funding for the service, said the decision was due to "the very small number of passengers who actually used the service from there".

Residents living in the village say many people relied on the regular service.

Carol Spafford, 67, who has lived in the village her entire life, said: "It's rubbish. In Morton, the people use buses as much as anywhere else.

"It's ridiculous. We have never, ever been without a bus.

"We used to have three buses at one time. Then it cut down to two, then one, now it's none."

The county council has advised residents to use its dial-a-bus service as an alternative.

However resident June Bonsall, 73, says using this service has proved difficult.

"I can't get anything until a week later, and I can only get back, I've got to find my way there," she said.

"I catch the bus every day because I'm a member of Alfreton Leisure Centre. I'm paying £400 annually for my membership, and I'm struggling to get there with no bus."

Another resident, Jennifer Sparrow, says her mother Gwendoline Roberts has dementia and is unable to do her normal activities due to the service being removed.

"It's really upsetting. She's stuck at home now, day-in, day-out," she said.

"She just can't get out. All I can do is put her in a wheelchair and walk round the block. She used to love looking round the shops, especially charity shops."

Becky Spackman, 38, who has lived in Morton for 10 years, said: "Unfortunately everybody that's tried it has found that it's fully booked.

"So we've had people stranded for several weeks that haven't been able to get shopping and people having to cancel GP appointments.

"We need the bus service reinstated. It's a necessary lifeline in the village.

"We also have a gentleman in the village who has type 1 diabetes who needs to get to the GP three times a week to have dressings changed. He's had to cancel GP appointments. That could be potentially life-threatening."

Les Skull, whose elderly mother lives in the village, said: "She used to catch it at least three times a week. She relies on it and she says now it's like being back in Covid.

"It's part of her social life, and she needs it. It means a lot to her, it means a lot to everybody. Why shouldn't we have a bus?"

Raising the issue in the House of Commons, Bolsover MP Natalie Fleet said: "Eighty per cent of residents in Bolsover live in transport-related social exclusion. That's compared to 18% of residents across England.

"Just last week, Morton was cut off completely from public transport after its bus was first cancelled and then reinstated with Morton taken off the route.

"How can people get to work if there is no bus to take them? How do parents get their little ones to childcare? Why would a business invest in areas where people cannot get to their employer?

"Derbyshire County Council must take responsibility."

A statement from the council said: "We understand this is causing upset for the community and are looking at the options for any changes to the route as it becomes established."

A spokesperson for the new bus operator, Notts & Derby, said: "We do understand the changes may have disappointed some people.

"If the county council allocates funding to support a service for Morton then we would be very happy to explore the best way to do this. We continue to discuss the route with the council."

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