Cheltenham people recovering from drug and drink addictions left stranded by bus cuts

There are calls to reinstate a Cheltenham bus route which has left people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction stranded.

The F service which used to connect Coronation Square to the town centre and Leckhampton was lost to Stagecoach’s recent cutbacks.

The commercial service which used to run from Monday to Friday was changed on November 27, 2022 and the subsidised weekend service withdrawn on February 19, this year.

Councillor David Willingham (LD, St Mark’s and St Peter’s), who serves on Gloucestershire County Council, asked at the meeting on June 28 whether the route could be reinstated on public safety grounds as it was the only public transport to serve the town’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation service.

On the same day, he also handed in a petition at Shire Hall signed by more than 120 people calling to reinstate the route.

He said: “Given the challenges faced by service users, could the cabinet member please advise whether the considerations around accessibility and public safety were factored into the decision to allow the St Mark’s section of the F bus to be withdrawn?”

However, Councillor Philip Robinson (C, Mitcheldean), who is responsible for bus transport in the county, said they had tried to reinstate the route.

He explained there were no bids for the route and the available resources were focused on the Leckhampton side of the F route.

“Two attempts at a full replacement of service F and for a pared down version were made, unfortunately no bids were received. The decision to focus the available resources on Leckhampton was based on access to alternative services.

“Residents of St Mark’s and Rowanfield have access to alternative services that are physically closer, more comprehensive, and more frequent than alternatives available to residents of Leckhampton. As such, the resources available were focused on the Leckhampton side of the F.”

A Stagecoach spokesperson said at the time of their reduction in services that they were facing a “very difficult set of challenges that are largely outside their control”.

They cited the continuing bus driver shortages as the main reason for their reduction in services across the county.