New bus route secured to connect ‘isolated’ communities

Public transport campaigners are turning the tide of recent bus cuts and have managed to secure a new route which will connect Newent with Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye.

A contract to run the new 232 Daffodil Line service has been awarded to DRM Bus and will start on April 2.

The bus will run every two hours, seven days a week and will provide an evening service on Fridays and Saturdays.

The route runs from Ledbury to Ross-on-Wye via Much Marcle, Dymock, Newent, Gorsley and Upton Bishop.

Clare Stone, chairman of community action group Buses4Us, said she was delighted with the result and said they aim to keep fares affordable and concessionary passes will also be accepted.

“This is a huge milestone for us, and we’re delighted to be working with DRM Bus, a local operator with strong roots in the community and a reputation for quality service: we feel like the Daffodil Line is in safe hands.

“We’ve been supported by Gloucestershire County Council’s integrated transport unit through the tender process and we are extremely grateful to the officers there – we couldn’t have got here without them.

“Nor would we be here without the support – financial and practical – that we’ve had so far from local councils, people, and businesses up and down the Daffodil Line.

“But really this is just the beginning. The real work starts now.

“Fundraising continues. Although we’ve raised enough money to get our new service started we’ve pledged to ensure it has all the financial support it needs to get well established.

“So we’ll continue to look for sponsorship and donations to help support the service – and we’ll be announcing an exciting new local business supporter later this week. But our main job now is to get as many people as possible to use the bus. The more passengers we have the less support we will need in the future from donors and sponsors.

“So watch this space for more information. And get ready to jump onboard and support the Daffodil Line on April 2.”

Ms Stone said the towns of Ross-on-Wye, Newent, and Ledbury have always had close lines and have had good public transport connections for as long as anyone can remember. There were regular buses for 70 years and before that a railway, the Daffodil Line, she said.

However, last year commuters were “devastated” by Stagecoach’s move to cut the bus service which used to link them to Ledbury. The bus firm said it was not viable and removed the 132 service which ran from Gloucester to Ledbury via Newent.

They also reduced the 32 service between Newent and Ross-on-Wye. “The bus company serving our communities decided we didn’t look like a great prospect for making profits post-pandemic and axed the buses connecting our towns and villages,” Ms Stone said.

“This caused chaos: children couldn’t get to school, companies lost staff who could no longer get to work, some people were so isolated they had to move house. And for many people, simple things like shopping, going to the doctor, or visiting friends and family were no longer possible.

“We quickly realised that if we waited for the Government, or even the county councils, to solve our problems we would be joining the back of a very long queue. Public transport was in crisis right across the country. So we decided to sort it ourselves and set out to find a way to get our buses back on the road and reconnect our communities.

“Local people, councils and businesses have come together to raise start-up funding for the new 232 Daffodil Line bus service. We’ve worked to improve the route and timetable. We’ve partnered with an established local bus company with a reputation for quality service – DRM Bus, who will be running the service for us.

“We’re determined to keep fares low, so that everyone can afford to take the bus. Now we need passengers. If everyone who lives along the Daffodil Line takes the bus just once a month we’ll never be at risk of losing this vital connection between our communities again. So, jump on board and enjoy the ride!”

The old Red Lion in Newent which will soon reopen as the Wye Inn on April 5 will be helping with fundraising.

As part of their launch they have made a voucher available for four courses at a discount and for every voucher guest they will donate £5 in support of Buses4Us.

People who wish to support the group can do so by clicking here.