Buxton residents have claimed victory in their campaign to restore the 185 bus service to Harpur Hill and Buxton Hospital.
Last year, High Peak Buses recently decided to reduce the service and cut off Harpur Hill.
This decision was taken based on falling passenger numbers due to a period of disruption caused by driver shortages and congestion from the many roadworks around Buxton. This disruption led to the bus running very late or not running at all, leaving many local residents stranded and caused children to be repeatedly late for school.
Along with Councillor Linda Grooby and Councillor Kev Kirkham, Mr Largan launched a petition to save the 185/186 bus, which hundreds of local people signed.
This led to High Peak Buses eventually agreeing to continue the service between Fairfield and the Market Place. However, they went ahead and cut off Harpur Hill and Buxton Hospital from the bus route.
Mr Largan and the local councillors refused to give up and continued to push for the restoration of services to Harpur Hill and Buxton Hospital. Working with Derbyshire County Council, Mr Largan was able to secure £47million of Government funding for a local Bus Improvement Plan.
Thanks to the increased funding from the Government, the 185 bus service will now be restored to Harpur Hill and Buxton Hospital. The extended cross-town service will start from 24 July. It will run hourly between Fairfield, Buxton town centre, Buxton Hospital and Harpur Hill and run until 7.30pm.
Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, commented:
“I’m really pleased that our campaign to restore the 185 bus has been successful.
“Cutting off Harpur Hill was a short-sighted decision, given all the new houses being built in the area and the planned relocation of Aldi from Buxton town centre up to Harpur Hill.
“This is a big win for Buxton residents, especially those living in Harpur Hill and Fairfield. I want to thank Councillor Linda Grooby, Councillor Kev Kirkham and everyone who backed our campaign!”
Linda Grooby, County Councillor for Buxton North & East, commented:
“I welcome this news which is a really positive step forward for local public transport. It’s been great to be able to work as a team on this campaign with Robert Largan MP and Councillor Kev Kirkham.
“I want to thank all the local residents who signed our petition and helped get this great result for Buxton!”