Residents in 17 villages fear that the cancellation of three rural bus services will leave them isolated and cut off.
When approached by Cumbria Crack bus provider Stagecoach confirmed that the 93, 93A and the 400 service from Carlisle to Blackwell, will all be cancelled from June 11, with the 400 service from Carlisle to Silloth continuing to run with a revised timetable.
A final decision on the changes to the timetable has yet to be made, the operator says.
Villagers say they received no official confirmation about the changes and were not consulted, saying they found out about the decision from bus drivers on the route.
A petition to save the 93 and 93A services has already amassed more than 1,000 signatures in its first two days.
The 93 and 93A services run between Carlisle and Bowness-on-Solway, stopping in places such as Kirkbride, Kirkbampton, Thurstonfield, Burgh by Sands, Port Carlisle and Moorhouse.
Many fear that the cancellation of the services, combined with the centralisation of services like banks and Post Offices to larger towns, will leave residents cut off.
“Someone who uses the bus was in tears wondering how she is going to get to work,” said Margaret Campbell, 68, who gets the bus to Carlisle three times a week from her home in Port Carlisle.
“There are people who won’t be able to get to the doctors, there are no banks around here too.”
Margaret says that her husband has a car so she would still be able to go about her life, but she worries about residents who don’t drive.
“I know a gentleman in Glasson who comes to Carlisle for his breakfast, has a couple of pints and then comes home,” she said.
“He won’t be able to do that now.”
A taxi ride from Port Carlisle to Carlisle would cost about £30 each way.
Margaret describes the people who use the bus as “like a community”.
“I was speaking to one lady who said, ‘I think I will have to move, I can’t see a way around it. I can’t drive, so I can’t see a way to stay in this village’.
“Villages are dying everywhere, there are no pubs, Post Offices. If we can’t get to Carlisle, we can’t live where we are.”
Barry Maxey described the cancellation of the services as “a smack in the face.”
He owns Wallsend Guest House & Glamping Pods, with guests regularly arriving by bus.
He says the majority of his guests have made the trip to walk the Hadrian’s Wall Path and that for many visitors, using public transport “fits with the ethos” of walking.
Barry worries about the impact the decision could have on the celebrations to mark the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall, as well as efforts to promote greener methods of travel.
“I don’t think a lot of people will stop walking the wall, but it creates an additional overhead and cost for people,” he said.
“It might just make people hesitate.”
He estimates that of the 1,000 or so visitors to his bed and breakfast, glamping pods and campsite last year, about half used the bus at some point during their trip.
Impact on communities
As well as the potential impact on tourism in the area, Michael also worries about the change will hit communities.
“My worry would be that after the impact of COVID the mental wellbeing of people who will be unable to return to their usual shopping habits and social activities,” he said.
“It really will have a big impact on people’s futures. People use the services to get to and from work. How are they going to get to work?”
A spokeswoman for English Heritage said: “ We are disappointed to hear that this service is to stop and of the potential impact it will have on our visitors exploring the wall.”
Stagecoach
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire said: “We can confirm that the 93/93A service from Carlisle to Burgh by Sands, Bowness-on-Solway and Anthorn will end on Saturday, June 11. Service 400 from Carlisle to Blackwell will also stop on the same date, and whilst the 400 service from Carlisle to Silloth will continue to run, it will have a slightly revised timetable.
“The harsh reality is that the pandemic has accelerated changes to people’s travel patterns and so we have been faced with no alternative but to make changes.
“Cumbria County Council are funding concessionary pass holders on actual usage rather than at 2019 levels. As numbers of concessionary travellers have not recovered as we would have liked, this means that the routes are making losses we cannot continue to absorb.
“We have tried to achieve the best we can for the majority of people, but it demonstrates the real challenges of operating transport links in rural areas.”
Responding to the statement by Stagecoach, Barry Maxey added: “We are not experiencing the same client pattern changes as Stagecoach, completely the opposite, we are seeing an increase. We experienced in 2021 a new set of UK visitors walking Hadrian’s wall trail and this year our numbers are equal if not higher – a significant number would rather use public transport rather than using the car to drive to either Newcastle or Bowness to start the walk/finish the walk.
“It is not the case of price to use the bus, more green/sustainability reasons. A lot of guests comment on how they can engage more with locals on the bus and see more and find it relaxing.
“Overall it’s a smack in the face to loyal passengers and the small businesses along the bus route.
“I’m hoping this will open the door to a new operator who can offer a more agile service/timetable for both the communities and tourists moving forward into 2023 which will be Stagecoach’s loss.”
View the petition here: Stop the cancellation of the 93/93A bus service. · Change.org
