People who rely on The Linkbus network may be impacted by proposed changes to the buses, including certain stops being removed and some services being cancelled altogether. New changes are being proposed for the Nottingham City Council Linkbus network, including the withdrawal of the W1 City service, which passes through the Lenton Industrial Estate, due to low passenger demand.
Other changes include removing Sutton Passeys Crescent, Orston Road and Charlbury Road bus stops from the L5 City service route, and extending the route to Bilborough College operating via Lambourne Drive. Timetable changes are also being considered for the L14 City service from Heathwell to Bulwell, which will be renamed as the L3 service.
It has also been suggested that the L2/X2 City service will run every 30 minutes during peak times, and every two hours the rest of the time. The proposals also state that the Glaisdale area and on Torvill Drive, Lambourne Drive and Elvaston Road, will have one bus an hour provided by the L1, previously the L5, and the L2.
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A 38 year old resident who relies on the City W1 service is frustrated to learn it might be withdrawn as she has been using it for the last eight years for her commute. After seeing a poster on the bus about proposed changes she went to the website to learn more about it and share her views as part of the consultation, which will remain open until Friday, July 7.
She stated: "When I'm on the bus I talk to my fellow passengers and ask them if they know and point out the poster and show them the link to comment. I think it would be helpful to have a discussion with people that use it to get to work.
"If I was an older person that used it to get around and then they stop my stop I would be upset, as not everyone can walk to the next stop." If the W1 service was cancelling, the 38 year old explained it would make her commute "a lot more challenging" becuase "it's the only bus that really gets close to my work."
The IT worker works on Lenton Lane and explained the road is "not very well maintained" and can be "dangerous" at times to walk or cycle on due to the traffic and vehicles driving too fast. Additionally, the Linkbus network was set up for those living or working in isolated locations that other bus routes did not cover, and without these services people would be stuck.
She continued: "That's what the Link Bus if for, isolated people and they probably won't know until it's too late. As a woman as well, I do not like walking in the dark on an isolated road.
"It's a complex situation and I think the bus people are lovely, it's not a criticism of them at all, they are clearly underfunded and doing their best and something has to give, but when it comes to getting to work that whole road is tricky to get to. The closest stop is the tram stop but for people that have mobility issues that's still a lot further.
"Something needs to be better, either the road needs to be better or the buses need to be better. There needs to be some conversations and better consultations."
Regarding the proposed changes, a spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said, “The Linkbus network exists to fill the gaps in the commercial network and runs on routes that are not commercially viable. Although the services do not make a profit, they need to be used enough for us to justify the cost of running them.
“Link bus timetables are all interconnected, as vehicles can be used on various routes through the day, so we need to take a holistic view to improve services. We are currently proposing changes to several Linkbus services to try and improve the reliability, frequency and usage across the whole network. These proposals are currently out for consultation and we welcome all comments."
They continued: "The W1 has very low passenger numbers - most journeys run with few if any passengers. While we appreciate the impact this will have on those few who do use it, we can no longer justify the expense of using a driver and bus to service this route. We intend to redeploy this resource to improve services on other routes.
“Although the L5 is used slightly more, passenger numbers are still low. Changes to the L5 will help to improve services on the L4 and L2 on Middleton Boulevard, a 400m walk away from existing L5 stops. So far, around 50% of regular L5 users have provided feedback. We have taken these comments on board and we do recognise that there are accessibility concerns - and this will be a barrier for some people, so we are looking at providing a shopper service to help address this.”
The consultation is ongoing and will run until Sunday 9 July – you can respond here.
