Axing bus service will leave residents 'isolated'
Brian WernhamVulnerable residents will be "left isolated in their homes" when a bus service is scrapped next year, it has been claimed.
Bus company Stagecoach will withdraw its 69 service in Carlisle, Cumbria, from 5 January due to costs and an overlapping of other bus services.
The bus serves neighbourhoods between Edentown and Holme Head and provides transport links to North Carlisle GP practice and Well Pharmacy.
Stagecoach says usage on the service is "extremely low", but Laura Ion, 63, who uses the service, said while it can be "very limited" it "still provides a vital lifeline for many".
She said: "Many residents who have no access to cars due to age related, mobility or sight issues are totally dependant on this bus to be able to go to town or the doctors or to socialise.
"Without it they would be totally isolated in their homes as, due to their mobility issues, using other local bus services is not an option."
Cumberland Lib Dem councillor Brian Wernham, who has set up a petition against the axing, added: "This route is a lifeline.
"Cutting it will isolate vulnerable residents."
He said the route covers Scotland Road and Beech Grove which house disabled and blind residents who have chosen to move there to have a dependable bus connection.
Brian WernhamPamela Irving, 61, who has limited mobility following a stroke, said she will be left with a more expensive option of a taxi to get to Carlisle city centre.
Ms Irving, who lives on Walden Grove, said: "Many people on this route are elderly and would not be able to walk to catch a bus on alternative routes nearby. I certainly couldn't.
"I'll be taking adventures into town by bus off my goals list for next year if there's no 69 service."
One resident, aged 64 and who did not wish to be named, said cancelling the route will mean "virtually no buses in the Scotland Road area from the Crown Inn to Bannatyne Health Club".
'Good links available'
Stagecoach said it "appreciate the withdrawal is disappointing" and understands the concerns raised.
"Decisions of this nature are never taken lightly and are informed by detailed, data-led analysis of passenger use, operational viability and wider network performance," a Stagecoach Cumbria and Lancashire spokesperson added.
"Many stops affected are within a short walking distance of alternative routes, meaning good public transport links will continue to be available for the majority of passengers."
But Wernham said most passengers cannot make the walk to other transport links and asked Cumberland Council and Stagecoach to confirm what assessments were undertaken before the decision was made.
He has also questioned whether options such as using a smaller single decker bus were considered to keep operating costs down.
Stagecoach said it had engaged closely with Cumberland Council throughout the review process and will continue to work with the authority to explore any feasible alternatives.
It comes after the Labour-controlled council launched "Cumberland Go" - a set of subsidised bus services to enhance services operating in and around Carlisle, Anthorn, Whitehaven, Ravenglass, Millom, Barrow and Egremont.
The BBC has approached Cumberland Council for comment.
