People living in Halewood fear they will be the "forgotten town" due to proposed changes to bus services.
Earlier this week, local bus operators unveiled plans to change public transport frequency across five of the six council areas from September 4. More than a dozen services across the region will have services reduced, but many residents in Knowsley say this is a "backwards step".
More than 100 responses have already been submitted for the Knowsley services and over 100 for the Liverpool changes. But with the concerns raised across the combined authority region, residents in one town say they will be back to "being the forgotten town".
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In Halewood, the proposed changes will impact the 76 and 78 route, reduced to an hourly service during off-peak and the 79 route, which is currently every eight minutes Monday to Friday. The changes for the 79 route would also see a reduction in frequency.
Speaking to residents in Halewood, many concerns were echoed about how the town will be "left" and elderly residents "the ones to suffer". One person who did not wish to be named said: "This is a massive backwards step. What about the elderly who rely on these buses? Those will be the ones to suffer."
Another added: "We are supposed to be getting more people to use public transport, where's the incentive? It's mental to me. Yes there may be benefits to changes, but where are the benefits for us here?"
A third told the ECHO: "People think it won't make a difference but they need to have their say. Public transport is a lifeline for some people and rely on these services."
Last year, the ECHO reported on how Halewood residents felt stranded in the "forgotten town" as a campaign was launched for better public transport services. It was said students struggled to get to and from colleges, people could not get to work or hospitals and the elderly were unable to easily access the local shops. But now, those concerns are "not being addressed" as residents say they are "again being left and forgotten".
On its specialist website documenting the proposed changes, the CA said: "Funding from central government, which has been supporting bus services, is due to end in the autumn of this year. As a consequence of this, it is proposed that changes to bus services in Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral are introduced on 4th September 2022.
"While some services have seen a good rate of recovery in passenger numbers since the removal of Covid-19 restrictions, others have not. This means that they may require changes to their route or timetable to allow them to remain sustainable."
The move comes after it was announced earlier this month that single bus journey fares would be cut to £2 and confirmation of franchising as the preferred model for running the network. The full list of changes, and how to have your say can be found by clicking here.
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